Welcome to the Enhanced World
by Belles7
Summary: Keep moving. That's what I have always been telling myself for the past 16 years of my life. Keep running, don't stop. Never look back. Ever. In order to survive in life, especially if you are me, you should know that there are TWO important things you MUST know. The Human World and The Enhanced World
1. Chapter 1

~~ CHAPTER 1: Getting to Know the Life of Haruno Sakura

Please Review

Sakura POV:

_Sakura's thoughts- italics_

**Inner talking- bold**

Keep moving. That's what I have always been telling myself for the past 16 years of my life. Keep running, don't stop. Never look back. Ever.

In order to survive in life, especially if you are me, you should know that there are TWO important things you MUST know. First of all, there are two worlds. There is "The Human World" and then, there is the… I don't know what the proper name is but the code name is "The Enhanced World." There are portals that link the two dimensions. However, Humans cannot travel between the two worlds. Only, the people of the Enhanced world can travel back and forth because… they're enhanced.

Why do people call that world 'The Enhanced World'? I really don't know, but basically, it's the supernatural world. Humans would think of it as magic or witch stuff. Sorry to burst your bubble, but it is not magic or witch craft. The Enhanced peoples look just like ordinary humans except that they are enhanced with skills and more power. When I say power, I mean like the power to control things. They can control elements, hack into minds, and of course they must have some ninja techniques and fighting skills when it comes to combat. Do you get what I mean? They're just… really enhanced if you compare them to the Human race.

So if you're wondering how I, Haruno Sakura, am related to them, I am one of the Enhanced. A ninja or what ever you want to call me. I am currently 16 but I am turning 17 next month on October 17th. I was born in the Enhanced World in the Leaf Village in the town of Konoha. However, when I was five I traveled to the Human world. And ever since then, I grew up here. The Human world is way safer than the Enhanced world. Humans don't have the extra power to control elements and kill you. I know that for sure, but I know there are some humans who work with the Enhanced people (aka: ninjas) who have evil motives in mind.

So how do I know that? I have encountered humans who are teaming up with some bad, bad ninjas. Need more evidence? Let's just say a lot of ninjas are after me. Good and Bad ninjas. And that is exactly why I am running. That explains why I am always running all over the Human world but what can I do? I don't want to go back to the Enhanced World. Me going back to the Ninja World equals the end of my life. Well, that's what I've been told from my mom.

One thing for sure, if I were to go to the ninja world again, it would make me an easy prey. I don't even know the place so it wouldn't matter if you blindfolded me and gagged me. I have never had an easy going life. I am and will always be on the run. I don't have time for friends and I know that even if I had friends they would be endangered too. My Love life? Don't even ask. If I don't have the time to have a friendly chat, then I don't have a second to spare on a guy, even if he is disturbingly hot.

So, here I am at Starbucks (in Tokyo) sitting outside trying to seem like a normal 16 year old girl who by the way should appear to be human. Let me do my mental checklist:

Wearing black wig? CHECK.

White Baseball cap (in my messenger bag)? CHECK.

Blue Contacts? CHECK.

Why am I wearing all of these ridiculous accessories? It's because everyone who's on the lookout for me, imagines a teenage girl with long pink hair and emerald eyes. And as much as I love my look, I have to do this to keep myself alive. So here I am a black haired girl with shoulder length hair and piercing blue eyes. My healthy pale skin contrasts my new hair. I am 5ft 5 and ½ inches and currently, I am wearing the most ridiculous thing: A high school girl's outfit.

I haven't been to school in a while… which was when I was 5. I am incredibly smart so don't underestimate me. I teach myself. I know several languages which is useful when I am in the Human World. I think I'm pretty good in math; I'm good with calculus and all those good stuff.

Out of all of my costumes, I never wore a high school girl's uniform. I have just been using illusion techniques, but some people started see through it so I went to plan B. Costumes and Disguises. I got this outfit from a private school in Tokyo. How did I get this? I didn't necessarily steal it, it's called bargaining. Humans and their need for money, but I understand. At least, I fit in now.

So how do I look? I'm dressed in a high school girl's uniform. The skirt is black with white hems and there's a white blouse with a black blazer to go on top. I've chosen to add some black leggings (Too many perverts these days) and converse instead of their traditional school shoes. Don't forget my tan brown messenger bag. Some people think I look a little tacky. I feel that I do look a bit tacky. But if I show myself as someone with poor fashion, then I'm least likely to be recognized.

I was sitting down outside at Starbucks reading my calculus book, when a group of human Japanese girls and foreigners started to whisper so loudly. They were pointing at a group of people. _I need to not stand out._ I walked over to the crowd and saw them: The Konoha ninjas.

At first, the Konoha ninjas (aka: the good ninjas) were 30 year olds and older. They have been searching for me ever since I came to the human world. But as several years passed by, I think they swapped with 20 year olds and older. But when I turned fifteen, they switched the group of ninjas that were supposed to find me. These kids seemed around my age.

I know that they have a clue on where I am. Yesterday, I was in Paris, France and they happened to be there. But they didn't catch me after all of the running through alleys and hiding in shops. One thing that is my advantage is that for some reason my chakra is not sensible. It can't be detected. Most of them think that I am hiding my chakra, but truth be told I'm not really doing anything.

When I got to the crowd and saw that the hot topic was the Konoha Ninjas, I analyzed them. One thing that I am good at is analyzing my opponents. _I have to take the chance while I can before they notice me. _ How do I know that they are from Konoha? When they're in the Enhanced world, they wear headbands that have their village's symbol. But when they're in the Human World, they have these necklaces that have the Konoha symbol on it.

The Konoha ninjas composed up of:

Naruto Uzumaki- a blond, spiky haired guy with a loud and bold mouth, wide range of combat

Sasuke Uchiha- a raven haired guy. Quiet, but caught on fast, wide range of combat

Shikamaru Nara- Pineapple shaped hair that was brown, tactic dude, controlling bodies

Neji Hyuga- cousin of Hinata, dark hair that was long, defense guy

Ino Yamanaka- blond haired girl with blue eyes, mind hacker

Hinata Hyuga- Dark haired girl, lavender eyes, quiet/shy, defense girl

TenTen Kunai- Brown haired girl with two buns, wide range of combat, weapons

When I was still living in Konoha, I was never allowed to go out into town unless I was with my father or my mother. So I didn't really know anyone from Konoha, even if they're my age. My mom was really good friends with Tsunade-sama. My parents were both ninjas with hereditary ninja techniques (kekkai Genkai) and they were the last of their clan. I was their only child.

My mom was an expert at herbs and when she taught me I was a natural at making medicine and healing. My father was good at ninja techniques and taught me most of them while he was still with me. I was a fast learner. But they never told me about the kekkai Genkai. But they taught me enough for me to survive.


	2. Chapter 2

*Chapter 2: Provoking Sasuke

Please Review

_Sakura's thoughts- italics_

**Inner talking- Bold**

Sakura POV:

How do I know their names? Well, let's just say that they're pretty top notch ninjas of Konoha. They come from well known clans and all those stuff. There's usually news stand for ninjas who are doing missions in the Human world. And I tend to stay updated in both world so that I don't get caught off guard but I wouldn't dare to go to the newsstand myself because that would totally give me away.

All of the ninjas who came into the Human World dressed casually. I have to say that the Konoha ninjas knew how to dress. Well, of course they were targeting girls so they had to impress and lure them into figuring out who they really were.

I stood at the back of the crowd and saw Naruto laughing and hugging Hinata. She looked so happy that she could faint any second now. I was happy that no one had recognized me yet. I turned around to leave and heard Naruto asking the Human girls if they knew a girl with pink hair and green eyes. I walked off and I knew that I had to mingle in with the human crowd.

As I walked into the Human rush of people moving to get to work, I saw the Sound ninjas furiously walking. I saw this one Sound ninja dressed in sort of baggy jeans with a white T-shirt wearing a headphone. His hair was combed into a Mohawk. He grabbed a brown haired girl with waist length hair by the hem of her shirt and aggressively asked her, "Are you Haruno Sakura?" She looked at him with disgust and confusion. Finally, she said, "I don't know what you're talking about. You need to let go of me before the cops come." He smirked at her and leaned into her until she hit the brick wall. She looked around for help. Panic was written all over her face. The sound ninja turned and left.

I was angry that innocent girls were getting interrogated by stupid and aggressive ninjas like him. Unconsciously, my hands were clenched in a fist.

_I should go over there and beat the crap out of him. That bastard! No manners at all. _

**No, you need to go. This has become a red zone. There are way too many ninjas here. Remember it's against the Ninja Laws for ninjas to harm humans. **

I released my breath and kept walking with my hands in the pockets of my blazer. I was walking when I felt a hand touch my shoulder. I turned around. ** Stay calm and confident. **

I turned around and looked to see the Konoha ninja Sasuke smiling at me. He gracefully asked, "Hey, how are you?" I looked at him with my fake blue eyes for a second and asked, "Um, why are you talking to me? I don't know you."

Konoha Ninjas POV:

Naruto was slouching as he walked and sighed really loud for his friends to hear.

Hinata was walking next to Naruto and said, "Don't worry, Naruto. We'll find her. You have to keep believing!"

Naruto was straightened up and said, "You're right Hinata! What am I doing? This isn't like me. You better believe it, damn right! We'll find this Sakura."

Sasuke sighed and said, "I don't know how long it's going to take us to find her. We've been searching for her for about two years. Soon, it'll be three years." He looked away, frustrated that he could have been training right now.

Ino and Shikamaru were walking in the back. Ino looked at her boyfriend and he just shrugged. Ino sighed and looked at Sasuke's back and intending to friendly insult him, she said, "Well, Sasuke, you don't have the right to complain because you haven't asked anyone today. Remember that we have to report back to Tsunade-sama."

Naruto nodded his head and said, "Yeah, Teme! Ino is right. With your good looks you should be able to draw in a whole line of girls. And then hopefully, one of them is Haruno Sakura! So stop brooding."

Naruto clapped his hands and eyed Sasuke suspiciously for a minute. He walked in front of Sasuke and looked at Sasuke, eye to eye.

He laughed out loud and said, "I figured you out, Teme! You have absolutely no experience when it comes to girls. And that's why you're brooding and so hesitant."

Sasuke grew angry and shoved Naruto out of his way and kept walking forwards. Naruto started to yell, "Ehhh, Teme! If you needed some advice, you could have just told me!"

Sasuke turned around and glared at his best friend. He walked over to Naruto and said, "Dobe, you're stupid. Why would I associate myself with girls? They're a waste of my time. I don't even know why Hinata likes you."

Naruto took a step back and said, "Then, if you do have experience… Have Ino pick a random girl for you to go and ask if she's Haruno Sakura." Naruto smirked at him and put his hands on his hips.

Sasuke glared at Naruto and then gave his ultimate Uchiha Sasuke smirk.

Hinata looked back and forth between the two and said, "Ne, why don't you two stop?" She looked at Naruto and sighed. He was going to stick through this 'till the end.

Sasuke looked at Ino and said, "Game on. Pick a girl."

Ino's eyes lit up and she smiled while she looked at the girls on the sidewalk. She looked across the street and unknowingly pointed at… the one and only Haruno Sakura in disguise. "There, that girl, the one in the black uniform with the black leggings and converse."

Ino smirked at Sasuke, who was looking intently at the black haired girl.

Sasuke said, "That's not her. She has pink hair."

Naruto faked a cough and started to tap his foot and pretended to look at his watch. He said, "Oh my, is the game over? My little sasuke's giving up because he has no experience." Naruto playfully smirked at Sasuke, who was already walking across the street.

Shikamaru said, "Bait taken. The Game continues."

Ino grabbed his hands and the friends walked across the street with the young Uchiha a few feet ahead of them, determined to ask the young girl her name.

Sasuke POV: 

As I reached near the girl, I noticed that she wasn't too short. She probably reached to my chin. I stretched my hand and put it on her shoulder. She turned around and looked at me. Her black hair reached to her shoulder and she stared at me with those blue eyes of hers.

I asked, "Hey, how are you?"

She looked at me with boredom and said, "Um, I don't know you. Why are you talking to me?"

I looked at her and said, "You looked like someone I was looking for."

She stared at me and said, "Uh, Ok. Yeah, what ever you say. Why don't you go to your little group of friends over there and uh, just go back to doing your thing, ok?"

I stared at her and said, "What's your name?"

She looked at me and said, "That's rude. Why don't you tell me your name first then I'll tell you mine?" She smirked at me. She was taunting me, playing around.

And then she looked at her watch and said, "Oh, I gotta go to class." She gave me a quick wave and quickly walked off.

When she was no longer visible, Naruto and the rest popped out and said, "Teme, did you see that? She just… you… WOW!"

Naruto was shaking his head and I knocked him on the head. He started to whine.

I said, "Stupid, that wasn't her. She doesn't have black hair and blue eyes."

Sakura POV: 

As I left Sasuke, my heart was thumping so loud I could hear it loud and clear in my ears. I unconsciously touched the necklace that my mother gave me. On the bottom of the necklace was a blue crystal.

_Oh My Gosh. I thought that he really knew who I was. _

**Yeah, same here, But he kind of over looked you because of your appearance. **

_Overlooking people. I'll make sure to keep that in mind. _

I went into a hotel and rented a room. When I got there I put my messenger bag on the bed and took a shower.

After I got dressed I lay on my bed and looked at the ceiling.

"Will I live like this for the rest of my life?" I asked out loud.

I turned onto my side and curled into a ball. I held my only memory of my parents in my hand, the blue crystal.

I stared at it intently, and I thought that I saw Sasuke, this other dark haired guy, and two other red heads.

I immediately let go of the necklace and rubbed my eyes.

"Whatever" I mumbled to myself as I drifted to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

*Chapter 3: What's Important

Please R&R

_Sakura's thoughts- Italics_

**Inner Talking- Bold**

Sakura POV:

I woke up from my dream panting for air. I got up from my bed and looked at myself in the bathroom mirror.

"Ugh, I'm drenched with sweat. What a dream," I said to myself. I washed my face and walked out of the bathroom and sat down on the bed again.

My mind is racing to figure out what is happening. Why do I keep having these dreams?

This is the third time that I've had this specific exact same dream this week.

As always, I dreamt that I was walking in a green forest. It was thick and very large trees were everywhere. Vines hung all over the place but it seemed more than a forest. It felt more ancient and powerful. That place was… supernatural.

I feel like I've been there but … when? Where? Why?

I let out a cry of frustration. Lately, I haven't been able to sleep well because of my dreams. I got up and looked at the calendar. I sighed out loud and said, "Today's October 7. It's a week from my birthday. I'm going to be turning 17 on the 17th of October. It's been 11 years of running all over the Human World."

I looked at the hotel room, which was really well furnished, but there was only a bedroom/living room, a small kitchen and a bathroom. The bedroom acted as a living room. I went into the kitchen and got a cup of water to drink.

To the right of my bed was a balcony; however, there were thick and heavy curtains that hid me from the glass doors that led to the balcony. I like balconies; I just can't open the glass door because it's not safe. I would just be jeopardizing my safety even more.

I sighed to myself again. I walked out of the kitchen and sat in front of the curtains. When I'm in deep thought, I usually bring my knees to my chest like I'm doing right now.

Thinking about my dream, I laid down on the carpet on my back so that I could stare at the ceiling.

"What am I doing? Is this all I'm ever going to be doing?" I asked out loud. I knew that there would be no one to answer. I closed my eyes and listened to my steady breaths of air.

_I wish life would be as easy as breathing in air._

**But sometimes, breathing may be difficult just like living is difficult. **

_What am I supposed to do about my dreams? They have to mean something!_

**I don't know, but what I do know is that you better not give up. You'll figure it out. It takes time for someone to find what they really need to know. It shows you the importance, the meaning and value. **

_Thanks, Inner. _

I pumped my fists in the air and said, "I'm not giving up. I have to survive until I find Mom and Dad. Damn Right!" I got up on my feet and looked at the clock. It was 4 a.m. I walked and lay on my bed until I fell asleep.

_**~~~ BRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIINGGGGG, BRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIINGGGGG!~~~~**_

I woke up to the ringing of the alarm clock. It was 6 a.m. A Saturday.

I rushed to take a shower. Then I put on a light blue jean with a white T-shirt and a black sweatshirt. I went to the bathroom with my messenger bag. I put on my blue contacts and then put my pink, long hair up. Finally, the last piece: The wig.

I looked at myself in the mirror just to make sure that I wasn't forgetting anything. I quickly got on my black converse and left the room with my messenger bag. I quickly left the Hotel after paying.

I turned the corner and saw the Konoha Ninjas.

"Man, they're still here even though it's Saturday?" I muttered under my breath.

I walked past the crowd and walked into the book store. I grabbed a random book and sat down in the lodge area of the store. I opened the book to a random spot and pretended to be reading with interest.

However, my mind was a thousand miles from the book. I was in my own world. I was thinking about what that dream meant.

A forest and I was walking in it? I slightly shook my head to get myself together. I looked at the book and took a quick look at it before looking away. But then, I found myself looking at it again because what had caught my eye was the bolded phrase "**Interpreting your dreams.**"

I quickly scanned that paragraph but was disappointed that it was talking about a different meaning of 'dreams'. I sighed and put the book away before leaving. As I walked down the crowded street walk, I heard a strange sound.

It sounded like a screech. I looked at the other people and they didn't seem to notice it. In fact, it was like they had never heard the noise. I continued to walk until I heard the screech. And this time, I knew that everyone heard it because everyone was looking at the sky.

There was this eagle-vulture looking bird flapping in the sky right above us.

"What is that!" a lady screamed. A child started to cry. People started to panic and the street was in chaos.

_This is definitely the doings of a ninja. Someone must have summoned that bird. _

**I know. We need to get out of here as soon as possible. **

I heard the bird screech and start to dive in. No one was moving. They were all frozen in fear.

"DUCK! EVERYBODY GET ON THE FLOOR!" I yelled and ducked.

That snapped some sense into them. When the bird went back into the sky, people started to get up and run away. I got up and turned the corner. I was walking down the sidewalk when I saw Naruto and his group was racing towards my direction. They were at the far end of the street.

_Crap! Should I keep walking? _**Keep walking. They have to deal with the bird. Ninja's aren't allowed to show their powers publically. It's strictly prohibited. **

Out of nowhere, I heard the bird screech; I looked behind to see that the bird was swooping down. From the corner of my eyes, I saw a little girl. She was frozen in the middle of the street just staring at that thing. Her mother was in the car with the door open and the mother was yelling, "Kana get back into the car!"

I wanted to yell at the girl, but my voice wouldn't work. My body wouldn't move. Everything happened in slow motion.

_Move, Move, Damn it! Move freaking body!_

Finally, I ran onto the street and grabbed the girl by her hand. I gently pushed her onto the sidewalk and rolled out of the bird's way. The bird's claws scratched at where I was a few seconds ago. Quickly, I got up and ran onto the sidewalk.

I heard a whimper. It was coming from the girl. She was on her knees crying with her hands balled into fists whipping away her tears. I knelt and asked her, "What's the matter? Why are you crying?"

She pointed across from us. I looked and realized that her mother was trapped in the car. I turned to the little girl and put my hands on her shoulders. I stared at her eyes and said, "Kana? That's your name right?" She nodded.

I smiled at her and said, "I'm going to get your mom out of the car, OK? But you'll have to listen to me, okay? I need you to go to that alley over there?" I pointed in the direction of the alley.

She got up and held her pinky out to me. I stared at her, confused for a second, until I recognized that she wanted to make me a promise. "Promise me that you and mommy will come back?" Kana said. We pinky promised. I smiled at her and gently pushed her in the direction of the alley. She ran off.

I looked back at the mother who was in the car. She was screaming for help but no one could hear because the bird's screeching was so loud that it blocked any other sounds.

I started to walk onto the street but then the bird picked up the car and flipped it upside down. "I need to hurry," I muttered to myself. The bird went back into the sky and so I ran to the flipped car.

I opened the door to the driver side and saw that the mother was unconscious. Her seatbelt was still fastened onto her. I struggled to unbuckle her, but at last I clicked the belt and slowly dragged her out. She was bleeding on her forehead. Thankfully, there weren't any major damages. I put one of her arms on my shoulder and half dragged/carried her to the alley where Kana was waiting.

When I was almost to Kana, Naruto and Sasuke came up to us; Naruto was breathing loudly. Naruto asked, "What happened to her?" I heard the bird screech and looked at the sky. I pointed at the sky. The two guys looked at the sky.

Naruto looked at me again and yelled, "YOU! You're the girl from a couple days ago! What are you doing here?"

I glared at him and said, "You Idiot! Don't you have anything better to do rather than yelling at me?" Naruto looked at me and pointed at the unconscious lady. I shook my head and said, "I'll take her to the hospital."

Naruto scratched his head and walked off with Sasuke in the direction of the bird. I took the lady to the alley and laid her down on the ground. Kana was immediately by her side. She was silently crying. There were tears flowing down from her eyes.

I checked her pulse. It was steady. I cleaned the mother's forehead, but the blood would not stop. I looked at the girl, who was shaking with fear. Fear of losing her mother.

I sighed out loud and slowly brought my hands 'till it hovered above the mother's forehead. I used my chakra to heal her. The girl looked at me in awe. She knelt on her knees and touched my hand after healing the wound.

A huge gust of wind came. It smacked us. The gusts of wind created dents in the walls. I stood up, embracing myself for the bird. I didn't know how to get rid of the bird.

I felt this heat coming from my crystal. The part of my skin that touched the blue crystal stung from the heat. I touched my necklace, searching for the blue crystal. When I touched it, I heard my mother's voice say, "Sakura, hold your hand out and command the bird to stop."

I was frozen by my mother's voice. I hadn't heard her for many years. I willed myself to not break down and cry. I remembered what my mom had taught me when I was younger.

I closed my eyes and gathered myself together. I opened my eyes and held my hand up. I commanded, "Bird of the sky, stop." After I said that, it was as if time froze. The bird was frozen in mid-air. Its wings were stretched out and the beak was open as if it were going to speak.

I heard footsteps running towards my area. I saw Naruto running with his group. They were on the other side of the street. I looked at the girl and waved a goodbye to her.

I pulled out several smoke bombs and ran away.

_Great, now I'll have to stay inside for a while. _

**They might have saw you.**

_Well, I guess What's Important is that Kana and her mom are safe and sound. _


	4. Chapter 4

*Chapter 4: Ramen Brings Good Friends?

Please R&R

_Sakura's thoughts- Italics_

**Inner Talking- Bold**

Sakura POV: 

I opened my sleepy eyes due to the sound of the alarm clock. If this alarm was mine, it would already be smashed; however, since, it doesn't belong to me then I just have to endure.

I lay still for a couple of minutes, looking at the ceiling of my new hotel room. I sighed and got up to take a shower. Once I was in the shower, I turned on the hot water. While washing my hair, I was thinking about my most recent dream.

It was a quick one. I remembered my mom's voice telling me to go… but go where? Then, I heard my father wishing me a happy birthday. I quickly dressed and said, "Today's October 17th! I should go treat myself!"

Yep, today I am turning 17 on the 17th of October. It's kind of weird, but hey? You can't help it.

I looked in the mirror and sighed. I had to get a new wig because a week ago I wasn't careful and the Konoha Ninjas saw me using my power. I liked that wig.

So, now, my disguise would be a college student. I got light brown contacts and a wavy light brown wig that went to my mid-back. I think it's almost as long as my real hair length, but I think that my pink hair is little longer.

I wore black skinny jeans with a loose dark gray overcoat with a thin white sweatshirt underneath. I put on my converse and threw on a thick scarf. "My poor fashion sense," I said out loud to myself. I picked up my bag and went out into the city.

I saw the Konoha Ninjas looking and asking if anyone had seen or knew a girl with pink hair and green eyes. However, I knew that they were keeping a lookout for a girl with shoulder-length (straight) black hair and blue eyes.

I walked past them until Hinata popped out in front of me. I stopped and looked at her. She looked at me and asked, "Excuse me, but do you know a girl named Haruno Sakura?"

I told her, "No, I'm sorry. I haven't heard of her before."

She looked at me and nodded her head. Before she was going to leave, I looked at her and asked, "Do you know what that big bird in the sky was? You know from last week?"

She turned to look at me and said, "Oh, I don't know."

I shrugged and waved a goodbye and walked off.

**Naruto and his Group POV:**

"Hinata, what did the brown-hair girl say?" Naruto asked with big, sparkling blue eyes.

Hinata shook her head and mumbled sorry. Naruto sat on a bench in the park, hopeless.

"B-but she did ask me something. She asked about the bird from last week," Hinata explained, hoping to lighten Naruto's mood. He smiled at Hinata and scooted closer to her.

"And what did you tell her?" Sasuke asked. He was standing under a tree with his arms crossed.

"I told her that I didn't know," Hinata replied. Sasuke looked far away into the forest.

Ino and Shikamaru were laying on the grass together, gazing at the clouds in the blue sky.

Neji and TenTen walked over to the hill where the rest of the Konoha group was. TenTen plopped onto the ground beside Ino and sighed out loud. Ino opened her eyes and sat up.

"Did you get a clue on her, TenTen?" Ino asked. TenTen shook her head.

"This is even more difficult than I had expected," Neji said, thinking to himself.

Shikamaru sat up and looked at them. He looked at the sky again and said, "This pink-headed girl is even harder than I expected. It's like she leaves no trace of where she is. She doesn't have a cell phone, moves all over the world and no one has ever heard nor saw her before."

Hinata and Naruto walked over to the circle of friends sitting on the grass. "Oi, Teme! Get over here! Come sit with us. Don't be such a loner!" Naruto yelled.

Ino slapped Naruto's arm and said, "Can't you tell that he's in deep thoughts right now. Don't make him even madder."

"Why, so that he can continue to think about how he could be training with Itatchi? Why Itatchi's probably on a mission for Baa-Chan right now!" Naruto laughed.

"N-Naruto, you shouldn't call the Hokage 'Baa-chan'. It's disrespectful." Hinata scolded. Naruto continued to laugh.

**Sakura POV: **

"Ehh, I'm so happy! I got free food." I said to myself.

~~~~~ Flashback~~~~~~~~~

I walked into the local Ramen shop and the Old man who worked there gave me a pot of freshly cooked ramen.

I helped him out with his ramen shop when his wife was ill and it was just him working at his shop alone.

I went to the deli shop and the middle-aged lady working there gave me a bag full of nicely packaged sandwiches.

I only spent money on bowls and juice and chopsticks.

"Ahh, this is kind of sad I don't have anyone to share this with,'' I mumbled to myself. I was carrying the pot with both of my hands.

_Why did the Old Man have to give me a big pot? A little bowl would've been nice. _

**Ah, be grateful. The man was being kind. **

_I know, I was just thinking that. I'm really thankful for all this. What a good present for me! Hehehe._

I walked to my favorite spot.

Actually, it was a secluded area. Not that many people came to the place because there was a forest near there.

When I got to the spot, I put the heavy pot down and took out the bag of sandwiches along with the eating utensils and package of juice.

I pulled out a big red picnic blanket and set it out on the grass.

Then, I put the food on top of the blanket in the center. I left my bag next to the large pot and looked around.

"Ehhhh, I haven't been here in a while!" I said out loud.

There was a stream that separated the forest from the area where I was standing. The stream was long and clear blue. There was a big green tree that provided shade for me. Flowers were here and there.

Overall, the main reason why I liked this place was because I could think here. It was quiet and there wasn't anyone to disturb me. But that doesn't mean that it's safe here for me.

I looked at my watch and it was only eleven, almost noon.

"Hmmm, I should start eating now," I said.

I opened the pot of Ramen and a slight breeze blew the Ramen aroma all over the place. I shuddered at the good smell of the Ramen. I smiled to myself as I put some ramen into my bowl. I looked at the chopsticks and looked around.

I sighed to myself.

"What am I doing?" I asked quietly. _It's my birthday and I'm all alone. _

I thought about what the Old man said to me earlier.

"Don't worry. My Ramen will bring you good friends. My special ramen NEVER fails." The Old man beamed at me.

I looked at my watch, waiting for my 'good friends'. I put the lid back onto the pot and waited. I pulled my knees up to my chest and waited silently.

**Naruto and Group POV: **

Naruto stood up and stretched.

"Ahhh, we should go get some food," Naruto said, looking at Sasuke.

Sasuke felt Naruto looking at him and said, "Get it yourself, Dobe."

A slight breeze came and Naruto started to sniff around.

He looked at everyone else, who were lying on the ground hungry.

Naruto started to walk where ever his nose led him.

"Oi, Naruto, where you going," Ino asked.

"Guys, don't you smell that?" Naruto asked. They shook their heads.

Naruto stomped like a little kid throwing a fit.

"Close your eyes and focus with your nose….hehehe, too bad Kiba's not here!" Naruto laughed.

Ino immediately got up and said, "I smell it Naruto! You're a genius. It's Ramen." Everyone got up and followed Naruto. They went over two hills until they came to the place where the Ramen was coming from.

"Stop," Naruto said, he held his left arm up in the air to tell them to not proceed.

Ino looked around the place and said, "Wow, this place is so… beautiful. It's like this place is so sacred and enchanted."

Hinata nodded and said, "Yeah, it is. It's like the dwelling of an angel."

Shikamaru looked at the sky and said, "It's the perfect place for cloud watching."

All Sasuke said, "Hn."

Naruto and they walked until they got to a big tree with tons of flowers there. And right in front of the big tree was a bunch of food.

"Okay, guys, let's dig in," Naruto excitedly said. Everyone looked at Naruto as if he was dumb, well except for Hinata.

"Eh, Naruto, I think this isn't for us," Hinata said.

"Nonsense"- Dobe, shut up," Sasuke interrupted Naruto and pointed at a sleeping brown-haired girl.

Naruto turned and looked at her and the food and sighed.

Sasuke smirked at Naruto. Naruto looked at the girl who had her knees to her chest and her long wavy hair slightly moved.

He gulped and walked to the sleeping girl. Naruto bent down on his knees and looked at her. He tapped on her shoulder and whispered, "Oiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!"

His eyes were big and he was drooling a bit because of the delicious smell.

Naruto tapped her shoulder again and was met with light brown eyes.

Oh, and he got a punch in the face.

"PERVERT!" screamed the angry brown-haired girl.

**Sakura POV: **

I put my head on my knees, which were hugged up to my chest.

Basically, it's my thinking position.

I listened to the wind and soon drifted into deep thoughts about my dream and hearing my mom's voice. Will my 'good friends' come like the Old Man said?

I felt like something touched my shoulder and then I knew that something touched my shoulder. And when I lifted my head, I saw a face.

It was a humanly face, but it had lines on its face. Well, not very distinct lines, but it was light, not very visible lines, almost whisker looking. The face was drooling and it had big eyes as if it were hungry.

It all happened in a second.

I punched the thing. In the face.

When I looked around, I saw the Konoha ninjas.

_What are they doing here? Did they find out about me?_

I remembered what the Old Man said about my 'good friends'.

I stood up and looked at them and then I saw Hinata. I mentally got myself together in a few seconds.

I heard Naruto whining about pain and I looked at him. He was sitting on the ground.

The Old Man's words rang clear in my mind:

"My special Ramen NEVER fails. Your good friends will come."

Snapping out of my thoughts, I looked at Naruto on the ground holding his nose.

I got on my knees to help him but I looked at him and said, "Are you even bleeding?"

He looked at me and said, "Of course I am." He continued to blab on and on, but I had zoned out.

I looked at the forest across from us. Something was different. I felt like I was here before.

Naruto interrupted my thoughts with his loud mouth. And then I forgot what I was thinking about.

"Aggghhh! Why do you have such a loud mouth?" I yelled in frustration.

Naruto fell on his back and said, "Oi, did you hear what I was saying?"

I looked at him puzzled and replied, "No, I didn't hear what you were saying. I was thinking when your loud mouth made me lose my thoughts."

He exhaled a loud breath and muttered, "You hit like Baa-Chan."

I looked at him and asked, "I punch like your grandma?" He looked at me and said, "No, No, no. That's not what I meant."

"Blah, blah, blah," I blocked him out. He crossed his arms and looked at me.

Suspicious, I looked at them and asked, "Why are you here?"

Naruto scratched his head and laughed nervously. His stomach growled and I crossed my arms.

I got up and went to the pot of Ramen and sat down.

I looked back at them and said, "You guys aren't eating?"

Naruto smiled and said, "Of course, we are!"


	5. Chapter 5

*Chapter 5: Eat First! … And then, Talk?

Please Read and Review

_Sakura's thoughts- Italics_

**Inner Speaking- Bold**

Sakura POV:

"You guys aren't eating?" I asked Naruto and his friends.

Naruto's eyes lit up, sparkling with mischief and he automatically replied, "Of course we are!"

He dragged them to sit down on the soft red blanket and took out the noodles and chopsticks. I looked at him, quietly laughing to myself.

_Maybe this isn't so bad? _

**Hmmm…**

We were sitting in a circle. I was sitting near the pot (center) and to my left were Hinata and Naruto.

To my right, it was Ino and Shikamaru and then Neji and TenTen.

Right across from me was Sasuke as quiet as usual.

I started filling the Hinata's bowl when Naruto suddenly burst out loud demanding, "You know what? We should introduce ourselves. Because I mean you're being so nice to us even though we're strangers. We'll go in the order of whoever's bowl you're filling up, neh?" His eyes were full of excitement.

I looked at him for seconds and finally agreed with him. _Well, I already know your names but it wouldn't hurt to reconfirm. _

"I'm Hinata."

"I'm Naruto, believe it!"

"Hn, Sasuke."

"I'm TenTen."

"I'm Neji."

"Shikamaru."

"Hi, I'm Ino! Nice to meet you!"

And finally, I filled my own bowl. I looked at Naruto and asked, "Me too?"

He nodded his head in agreement.

_Give me a name and make it fast._

**Hana. **

"Hi, I'm Hana," I simply stated.

Naruto looked at me and said, "Hana? That's a nice name."

"It's a very pretty name!" Ino said.

Hinata nodded.

Naruto's stomach growled. I looked at him not surprised at all.

He quietly laughed and said, "How about we eat! And then talk?"


	6. Chapter 6

*Chapter 6: Conversation Gone Wrong

Please R&R :)

_Sakura's thoughts- italics_

**Inner Talking- Bold**

Sakura POV:

I finished eating first… well, actually I didn't really eat much.

I only ate one bowl of ramen and that was it.

I looked at Naruto and saw him lick his tongue while he was staring at his 5th or maybe 6th bowl of Ramen.

Naruto looked at me and put both of his thumbs up. He smiled a big smile and started slurping the ramen again.

I took off my overcoat which left me with my thin, white sweatshirt and the thick scarf, and I put it over my black skinny jeans as a blanket.

There was a small breeze and it brushed my hair back almost as if it were comforting me. I looked at the stream and the forest. This place felt so familiar. Hopefully, my brain would click and I'd get some sort of a clue.

It was kind of awkward. The silence and pretty much no one talked except for Naruto. I heard Naruto sigh in satisfaction and saw him pat his stomach. He was finally full.

"So, Hana, what are you doing here in place like this?" Naruto asked.

I looked at him and asked, "What are you doing here?"

He looked at me and said, "OK, I see. How about we do a question and answer game? I'll answer your question first. Hmmm… to tell you the truth, they came because I dragged them, and I came because I smelt Ramen." He finished by nodding his head.

I looked at him and brought my knees to my chest (I know, it's a habit).

"Well, actually, I always come here. It's my little private area where no one comes."

Ino nodded her head in agreement and said, "I can understand why you say that about this place."

"Yeah, this would be the perfect place to relax," TenTen chimed in.

"My turn now," Naruto said, "Hana, do you believe in supernatural things?"

His eyes were big and I asked, "Supernatural? Like what? Superpowers?"

Naruto looked at the others and said, "No, not like heroes and vampires. I mean something not ordinary."

I shook my head and asked, "You mean like spirits? Because I'm pretty sure there are spirits and the entire ghost/soul thing."

_I'm pretty sure he's trying to talk about the Enhanced World, but oh, well. I gotta play dumb._

Naruto shuddered and Hinata, who noticed that very well, said, "How about we go to another subject?"

Ino nodded her head and asked, "So, Hana, how old are you?"

"I'm 19. I'm a freshman in college," I replied. _ What a lie. Sigh to myself. I'm not that old yet. _

Ino's mouth was shaped into an O. I looked at her and asked, "Are you OK, Ino?"

She quickly recovered and clarified, "It's just that you look so young; I never would have thought you were 19. That means you're older than me because I'm 18."

"Barely just turned 18," Shikamaru added. Ino slapped his arm jokingly.

"Wow, you look very young! I thought you were 16 or maybe 17, but you're actually 19?" TenTen asked, shaking her head in amusement.

I just shrugged and asked, "Well, Naruto, my turn. Do YOU believe in the supernatural? I mean anything spirits, ghosts, monsters, and even ninjas!"

I looked at him innocently.

_I'm waiting, time to do some investigating. _

Naruto looked at me and said, "Spirits? Of course I believe in that and even ghosts! Although, I do NOT want to see a ghost! Monsters, you mean like boogeyman? No, that's not real. But people who are controlled kind of like brain-washed/ walking zombie thing, then yeah."

Hinata nodded and said, "I don't really like seeing ghosts."

She looked kind of pale just from talking about it. I wouldn't want her to faint so I quickly changed the subject and said, "You forgot ninjas."

From the corner of my eye, I noticed that Hinata and Ino tensed up. I stayed relaxed and calm, acting as if I didn't notice their reactions.

"Well, do you believe in ninjas? You know, the kind where little kids dress up as for Halloween?" I inquired.

I saw Sasuke look intently at me and he asked, "What about you?"

_This is the first time he's spoken. Interesting, I guess. _

I looked straight at him and nodded my head. "Of course, I do."

Ino looked at me and asked, "Why? Why do you believe in ninjas?"

I shrugged and looked at the sky and stared at her blue eyes.

Until I answered, "I don't know, but I believe in ninjas more than I believe in monsters."

"So back to my question, do you believe in ninjas?" I asked.

I saw them talking with their eyes, asking if they should tell me even though it was just for a few seconds.

Naruto looked at me and said, "Yeah, I- no, we do believe in ninjas."

I looked at him and said, "Really?"

Naruto looked at me and asked, "If you could be a human or ninja, what would you be?"

I put my index(pointing) finger on my chin and thought quietly to myself.

_Hmmm… what would I be?… A ninja or a human? Well, I am a ninja in hiding acting as a human._

I snapped my fingers and stated, "I'd be a ninja!"

Naruto looked at me and loudly asked "WHY!" In a softer tone, he said again, "I mean why would you want to be a ninja?"

"Because ninjas are still human, so why not be both?" I replied touching the tips of my fake brown hair.

Naruto shook his head and crossed his arms. He looked at me and said, "Ninjas are more superior to Humans, Hana."

"Well, duh. That's pretty obvious. I mean they have skills and techniques and faster reflexes and all those goodies," I retorted.

Naruto looked at me, clearly not happy with what I said earlier. _Why? I'll probably never know._

Hinata looked at us; her head moving back and forth.

She finally chimed in and said, "Hana, why do you think ninjas are human?...well, I know that everybody here is human, but why do YOU think ninjas are humans?"

_This is getting serious. Basically, what she's asking is 'why do you think we're Human?"_

"Ninjas have the ability to think. They have the authority to choose what to do whether it's right or wrong. And so do Humans. Both ninjas and humans have emotions; they can feel," I said with confidence.

I heard Naruto snort; he had his arms crossed. His blue eyes were defiant.

_What is the matter with him? Did the Ramen do something to him or is he just angry at me?_

"What's your problem, Naruto?" I asked.

He looked at me directly with a new look in his eyes.

What was it… anger? Bitterness? It was like I had brought up something that he didn't want to hear.

"Hana, how is a human the same as a ninja? Please enlighten me." Naruto asked.

_What is this feeling that I'm feeling? It's almost as if his spirit is calling out to me._

"I never said that a human is the same as a ninja. Obviously, ninjas are more superior, but that's only because they have more power." I pointed out.

Hinata put her hand on Naruto's hand and was silently pleading with him to stop.

Naruto shook her off and said, "How would you know what you're saying is right? Are you even a ninja? No, you're just a human like us."

I glared at him. I don't know why I felt so angry when he said that.

Without even thinking, I spat out, "Yes! Yes, I am human. But you, no all of you, you guys aren't humans at all. You are ninjas."

_Crap! Did I just really say that? _

The second that last sentence slipped off my tongue and out of my mouth, Naruto and his friends were already standing in front of me.

Their weapons were pulled out and Sasuke's katana was already hanging above my throat.

"Hn, I knew she was suspicious," Sasuke managed to say.

"Gee, at least you said a sentence." I remarked. I felt his Katana slightly press onto my throat.

"Hana, what are you?" Naruto asked. I looked up at his eyes and saw that they were soft.

"Like I said earlier, I am a Human. Were you even listening earlier?" I asked harshly. Naruto looked at his companions.

"Okay, how about we stop this silent conversation thingy? It's getting really irritating. If you're going to do something about me, then hurry up and get to it already," I complained.

Shikamaru asked, "Why would you want to die?"

I gave a 'did-you-just-seriously-ask-me-that-look?' at Shikamaru.

"Hello? Given all these pointy edge weapons surrounding me, wouldn't you come to the conclusion that someone, which is me, could possibly die?" I asked with bitter sarcasm.

He motioned for the rest to back off with their weapons, but I could feel that they were ready to pounce on me any second now.

Naruto sighed and mumbled, "She's only human."

I muttered out loud, 'Like you're any better than me."

I saw Hinata give me a look. I was sitting criss-crossed with my hands in my lap.

"Hana, how do you know that we're ninjas?" TenTen asked. Ino bobbed her head in agreement.

I looked at them and said, "Because I know one when I see one."

"Does that mean that you've met ninjas before?" Neji asked.

"Well, yeah. Of course, I've met ninjas before. There sure are a lot of ninjas roaming around these days," I said out loud to no one in particular.

"Damn that pink-haired girl; it's all because of her," Naruto said. Obviously, he had caught my attention.

Immediately, I glared at him and asked, "What pink-haired girl?"

Naruto looked at me and said, "Why are you so angry? Did you meet her before?"

_What is his issue? Talk about moody!_

"Oi! Snap out of it Hana." I heard Shikamaru say. I looked at him and back at Naruto.

I forgot that I was 'Hana'. I glared at Naruto and said, "Yeah, I have met her before. So what?"

Hinata gasped at me and said, "But this morning you said…"

I gave her a dumb look and said, "Well, duh, I was lying to you. And so were you?"

I heard Ino whisper, "Why?"

I stood up. _Now we're equals, people. I am officially not going to deal with any of your guys' crap. _

I replied, "Because I understand her."

Naruto laughed, bitterly and said, "How could you understand her? Do you know why she's in your world hiding?"

_Freaking idiot, I AM her! I should kick your ass right now!_

**Don't blow your cover. Remember, investigation. **

I looked at Naruto with confidence and firmness.

"No, but I know better than to believe what you're going to tell me," I said.

"You really do believe in Sakura?" Neji asked.

"Yep, and anything that you tell me will not change my mind," I replied.

I looked at Naruto and he said, "Are you sure, Hana? That you're not going to change your mind about her after you hear this?"

I looked at him with determination. There was a hard blast of wind and my brown bangs that covered my forehead danced in the wind.

I looked at them with no faltering faith and said, "I will never turn my back on Sakura Haruno."

Naruto nudged Sasuke with his elbow and Sasuke sighed and said, "Haruno Sakura is to be brought back to our village."

Naruto looked at me and said, "Since Sasuke isn't going to say it then I will. Eleven years ago, when we were five, the Haruno family disappeared. Not a single trace was left behind. The parents were the last of their clans and Sakura was their only child. Rumors say that the family transported into the Human world and left Sakura here; however, there are other rumors. Like Sakura Haruno ran away from home or her parents killed her. Maybe the parents are dead," He finished by crossing his arms.

Naruto stared at me, waiting for my response.

"Yeah, I heard the story, but that doesn't change my faith in her. But why are you so mad at Sakura, Naruto?" I stated.

He looked caught off guard by my question. I stared only at him, prompting him to tell me why he was so angry at me. Out of all them, Naruto was the only one who seemed affected by the leaving of my family.

"N-Naruto, you don't have to"- "its okay, Hinata. I'll tell her," Naruto said, cutting Hinata off.

"It's their fault. It's her fault. If Sakura hadn't… if they hadn't left Konoha, then my father would still be here with me!" Naruto burst out. His fists were in the air as if he had punched someone. And then his shoulders slouched and he walked off with Hinata chasing after him.

I couldn't get a good look at his face.

"But, Hana, since you saw Sakura before and talked to her then that means that there's still hope for Naruto's dad," Shikamaru said.

I tilted my head confused.

I was going to ask for clarification until Ino said, "This pink-haired girl Haruno Sakura is needed by our village."

I looked at her and felt this wave of desperation fall upon me.

Ino walked off with Shikamaru, who gave me a small smile and turned to leave.

TenTen walked up to me and gently touched my arm.

She smiled at me and said, "I'm sorry that things turned out this way, but if you happen to see Sakura again, Could you please tell her to go back to Konoha?"

I made no response to her request. _There's no way I can promise to go back to Konoha and stay put there._

Neji was standing next to TenTen and said, "Let her think about it."

Then, they left and only Sasuke stood behind.

He turned to leave and said loud enough for me to hear, "Hana, your decision to tell Sakura or not is going to have a big impact."

And then POOF! He turned into a big air full of green leaves. I felt no trace of their chakra. They were gone.

I stared at the floating leaves in the middle of the air. They scattered all over the place and went their own direction.

"Which way will I go?" I whispered.

My decision to go to the Enhanced World or to stay in the Human world… will it really have a big impact as big as what Sasuke meant?

* Please Read and Review! Thanks for all the reviews, reviewers! *

-So what do you think? Will Haruno Sakura go to the Enhanced World or stay in the Human World?

-Did I make Naruto seem way too bitter or snappy?

****** Stay Tuned for Another Chapter of…*******

**"Welcome to the Enhanced World"**


	7. Chapter 7

*chapter 7: Decision Made.

Please R&R :)

_Sakura's thoughts- italics_

**Inner speaking- Bold**

Sakura's POV:

I stood by myself under the big tree for several minutes after the Konoha group left.

"What the hell was this?" I said. I lightly slapped myself and shook my head.

_I'm not going to let this spoil my birthday! _

I sighed and packed everything up. After packing up, I got off of my knees and started walking back to the Old Man's ramen shop with his big empty pot to return.

I looked at the empty pot and thought of Naruto. I smiled to myself and turned to look at the place.

"Ahh, it's so nice here," I said. _I probably won't come back here for a while. _

"What was I thinking…Ramen bringing me good friends? Nonsense." I pondered aloud.

I looked at my watch. "Wow, it's almost 7 p.m." I said, out loud.

I looked at the sky that was turning a light orange shade; it looked soft and creamy like ice cream.

I sighed and looked at the moon. It was starting to appear in the light orange sky.

_Why am I thinking about Naruto at a time like this? Is it because of the sky or the empty pot that I'm carrying?_

"Aghh! Damn you! I should be thinking of SHERBERT ICE CREAM right now! Not you… you stupid blond guy," I yelled at first and finished half-whispering.

I looked around me and noticed that I was in Tokyo already.

"Wow, that was fast," I mumbled. _I guess getting mad while walking for 30 minutes goes pretty quick. _

I looked around and saw that people were staring at me.

_Man, today was sooo messed up! _

**You can say that again. **

I walked into the Old Man's shop and said, "Hey, Old Man, I'm back!"

The Old Man popped out from the back of the store and his wife came out to shout a quick, "Hello!" She left to go stock up their supplies, probably in the back of the shop.

The Old Man took the pot from my hand and said, "My special ramen worked, neh?''

I couldn't help but smile at him. I sat down on one of the stools and rested my elbows on the counter with my chin on top of my palms. I sighed, thinking about what happened today.

The Old Man was behind the counter drying a glass cup and said, "Oi, what are you thinking so hard about?" He turned around to put away the cup and started to dry another cup.

I looked at him and asked, "Are you really sure that your ramen will bring me good friends?"

He nodded his head and said, "Eventually, you'll see if they're really you're friends or not. Why? Did you meet some people… because you did come back with an empty big pot."

I nodded my head and said, "Yeah, but then we got into an argument though."

He smiled at me and replied, "Don't worry. That's the beginning of a friendship. It's normal for soon-to-be-friends to argue."

I tilted my head at him and said, "I guess."

I was going to sigh but then the Old Man asked, "What's really bugging you?"

I looked at him and said, "Well, I was thinking of going back home. You know how I told you I came out of town to visit some relatives of mine in Tokyo...Should I go back home?"

He smiled at me and said, "Of course, you should. You haven't gone back home since… what eleven years?"

I looked at him and said, "You really think so?" He nodded and said, "If you ever need something, I'm always here."

I beamed at him and said, "Okay, Old Man. Well, then… I guess, I'll say goodbye." I started to walk out.

_Oh who am I kidding? _

I ran around the counter and gave the Old Man a hug and mumbled, "Thanks a lot! Thank you for everything! Tell your wife I said bye."

He patted my head and said, "Run a long, now and Oh, Happy Birthday!"

I looked at him with teary eyes and walked off with my overcoat in my hands and my tan messenger bag swinging on my shoulders.

_Mom… Dad, I'm coming to find you. Now, we can finally be together. _

I smiled to myself, walking to a new hotel room.

_It's time to finish some unsettled business. I'm going back to Konoha. _

- Please Review-

**Thank you for all of the reviews! **

**Another chapter uploaded just for my special readers! Thanks for reading. **

**-Stay Tuned for Another Chapter of -**

"**Welcome to the Enhanced World"**


	8. Chapter 8

*Chapter 8: Now or Never.

Please R&R

_Sakura's thoughts- Italics_

**Inner speaking-Bold**

Sakura POV:

I walked into my new hotel room for the… probably one millionth time in my eleven years of wandering in the Human World.

I locked the door and lay on the bed, staring at the wall.

I sighed in relaxation and then several minutes later, I sighed in frustration because of Naruto.

I flipped onto my back and muttered under my breath, "That idiot…he better be thankful that I'm coming back to Konoha."

_Well, I have my own reasons. But I guess my guilty conscience does play a part of me going back to Konoha. _

**Thought you said that you wouldn't change your mind after what Naruto and his friends told you? **

_Well, I said that my opinion about myself wouldn't change. I never said that my thoughts about going or staying in the Human World would change though. _

**Hmmm… that makes sense, now. **

I flipped onto my stomach and closed my eyes. _I'll find you soon, Mom and Dad. _

~~ Sakura's Dream:

_I looked around and saw that I was in the same forest from my other dreams. _

"_Okay, look, I need some clarification. Where am I? What am I doing here?" I asked out loud, hoping that someone would answer me. _

_I slapped my arms by my side and mumbled, "What was I expecting? No one would be in a forest like this." _

_I continued to walk around in the forest, until I realized that I was walking in circles. _

"_Great! Just great." I said. _

"_I've been walking in circles." I sat down on the soft green grass and looked at the star-filled sky. _

_Wow. That's pretty._

"_Go, Sakura, Go. Hurry," I heard my mother say. I stood up and searched for my mother. _

_There was no one. I sense no one. Nothing. Nada. Rien. _

"_Wake up, Sakura. Happy Birthday." My dad said. _

~~End of Dream ~~

Sakura POV:

I woke up with a small gasp. I looked at my waterproof watch. It was 7:40 p.m.

I rubbed my eyes and went to take a shower.

I quickly dressed and thought, _Should I go back tonight or tomorrow? _

**Quit delaying. It's now or never. **

I looked at myself in the mirror.

I was wearing a white, floral dress that came several centimeters above my knees. I put on my black converse shoes after putting on my leggings.

A little breeze of the cold air came in and I shivered from the cold welcoming of the dark night.

I put on my sort of baggy black, cotton sweater and threw on my thick red scarf.

"Ah, I almost forgot my wig." I took out my two wigs. I sighed.

_Which one to pick? Each wig has their own problems. _

"Oh, whatever, I'll just go with the black wig." I put my long, silky pink hair up and put on the wig and added the blue contacts to hide my real emerald eyes.

Tonight, I would be high school girl Haruno Sakura and hopefully not get caught until I got to Konoha safely. I stood up and patted the back of my white dress and nervously touched my red, knitted scarf.

I opened my empty tan messenger bag and threw my long, brown-haired wig into the bag along with the light brown contacts.

_I may need this later on. Well, I guess that's it. _

I walked out of the hotel building and onto the sidewalks.

_Thankfully, I live in the city._

The city lights were bright and shiny. I saw a group of high school kids walk out of a karaoke shop, laughing and patting each other on the back.

I tore my eyes from the sight and continued to walk with my hands stuffed in the pockets of my black sweater. My sweater's zipper was jammed so I couldn't even zip it if I got cold. Every step I took, I could feel my thick red scarf hitting against the base of my throat.

Just imagine, earlier I had a sword hanging over the base of my throat and now it was safe, cuddled under a nice thick fabric.

Tonight was cold but in a relaxing way. I felt all my worries fade away as the night came upon us.

A guy, probably older than me, was walking with his back towards me and bumped into my shoulder. I looked at him, snapping out of my reverie. There was silence for a few seconds.

He looked like a doll. He had red, silky looking hair. I felt like I saw him somewhere.

"I'm sorry," I automatically said, hoping that he wouldn't bother me and walk off.

He looked at me curiously and said, "No, you don't have to be sorry. I was the one who bumped into you. I'm sorry I wasn't looking out and hit your shoulder." He looked behind him as if there was someone standing there.

I looked behind him and saw no one.

"Um, are you okay?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

He chuckled and said, "Yeah, I was just looking for my friend. He must have left me."

I nodded and mumbled, "Um, I have to get going so… have a nice night."

He stared at me until I walked past him and he yelled, "Hey… I'm Sasori!"

_Oh, God, is he still talking to me? _

I turned around and looked at him and waved goodbye. I walked off, hoping to get to the forest before anyone else came.

As I walked past a ninja news stand that looked like a normal human news stand, I heard a bunch of ninjas in disguise saying, "Oh, we gotta get going. They're going to close the portal that links the Human World and the Enhanced World."

After I heard that, I stopped listening to them and walked away.

I didn't know where to go so I went to the only place I could go to think by myself.

Yep, that's right. I went to the place where I was earlier today.

As I arrived at my thinking spot, I stood and marveled at the sight. I sighed and closed my eyes, looking for the presence of anyone. _No one is here. _

I somewhat expected Naruto and his friends to be waiting there. _ Oh, well._

I touched my necklace until I felt my blue crystal. I walked under the big tree and sat there for a while.

I had my eyes closed and felt my crystal heat up in my fingers.

I looked at my fingers with the crystal engrossed between them. My crystal was shining a light blue color. I closed my eyes.

There were mental images popping up in my head.

_This place… I have been here before. _

_My parents and I were standing right under this very tree._

_My parents held both sides of my hands and kissed me on my head. _

_They turned to leave and as I was staring at them, I saw them walk on the water of the small stream and they entered the forest. _

"Oh my gosh, this was one of my memories. I can't believe that I forgot this," I whispered. 

_This explains why I couldn't remember why this place is so familiar with me. _

_That must mean that there's a portal here! Naruto and his friends didn't even notice it! This must be a secret portal unknown to the others._

_Mom and Dad took this portal to go back to the Ninja World! It makes sense now!_

_Wow, am I smart or what? _

**Well, at least you figured that out. You need to get going. **

"Sakura, go." I heard my mother's voice say. I quickly stood up and looked around.

"Who's there?"I asked, trying to mask my fear. _Whoever this is they sound a lot like my mom._

"Sakura, hurry you need to get going before the portal closes." My mother said again.

I felt like it was coming from the crystal that my parents had given to me before they left.

I looked across the stream and saw that there was this barrier looking thing.

It was starting to waver as if it would fade away very soon.

"Damn, those ninjas weren't kidding when they said that the portals were going to be closing tonight," I muttered.

**Better hurry up. It's now or never. **

I ran and jumped across the stream. I looked at the portal and walked into the Enhanced World.

****** Please Review***********

Stay in Tune for Another Chapter of…

****** "Welcome to the Enhanced World*******


	9. Chapter 9

*Chapter 9: Next January?

Please R&R

_Sakura's thoughts- Italics_

**Inner Speaking- Bold**

Naruto and Group POV:

"Aww, man, did I really act like that?" Naruto questioned.

Ino vigorously nodded her head with her arms crossed.

Naruto looked at Hinata and she looked at him with a flutter in her stomach, scared of how he would react to her answer.

"I'm sorry Naruto, but you did act like that to Hana-Chan," she said, trying to mask her fear of him blowing up again.

"Naruto, you were acting as if Hana was Sakura!" TenTen scolded Naruto.

Naruto closed one eye in fear of what TenTen could possibly throw at him, knowing that she carries a lot of pointy weapons.

"What's worse is that you guys all took out weapons on her," Shikamaru said.

They all hung their head in shame of what they did earlier. However, there was one person who wasn't ashamed of what he did. Sasuke.

He stood under the tree in the middle of a park with the rest sitting on the grass.

"TEME! What's your issue? Why aren't you feeling anything?" Naruto yelled while pointing at him with accusing fingers.

Sasuke looked at Naruto with bland eyes and challenged, "Why should I be ashamed of myself? I did what a normal ninja would do. I pulled out my weapon because she was being suspicious. And she even admitted the truth to us." He stared at Naruto, waiting for the blond guy to make a remark.

"Well, yeah, that's true… But Hana is a Human! She must have been so frightened! And she's a girl. No, normal person would take out a pointy object and touch a person with it, especially on the neck!" Naruto yelled.

The rest of the friends nodded their heads.

"For once, Naruto may be right," Shikamaru said.

"Tch. Whatever," Sasuke said, looking away from his friends.

~~~~ Time Skip ~~~

Naruto and Group POV: 

Naruto and Hinata were walking side by side with Neji/TenTen and Shikamaru/Ino in the middle. Sasuke was left behind at the back with no care in the world at all.

Naruto looked over his shoulder to glance at Sasuke. He shook his head while thinking to himself, _the guy needs a girlfriend. _

Naruto grabbed Hinata's left hand, making Hinata's heart almost stop because it was so suddenly.

Naruto looked at Hinata, eye to eye, and said, "Let's go have some fun! Today wasn't so great so in turn…. Sasuke will treat us! Yay!"

"What?" Sasuke asked, glaring at the blonde headed guy. Hinata looked at Sasuke and shrugged.

"Well, there's no point in stopping Naruto," TenTen said.

"Yeah," Shikamaru agreed, thankful that Naruto wasn't going to pick him to treat everyone out.

The group of friends set out to the amusement park.

Naruto and Hinata were getting off a ride when all of a sudden Naruto yanked Hinata by her hand and dragged her to a shady area.

"W-What's the matter Naruto?" Hinata asked, frightened.

Naruto looked around and said, "There are some ninjas here." Hinata looked around and her eyes widened.

"You're right, Naruto," she claimed, looking at him with wide eyes.

"What? Why are you making that face, Hinata?" Naruto asked.

"Nothing, it's just that I never really sensed those ninjas. Their presence is very light. If you didn't tell me then I would have never realized them," Hinata clarified.

Naruto suggested, "Let's go find the others."

Sasuke was sitting under a tree until he felt another ninja's presence.

He looked around and saw humans laughing and having fun in the amusement parks.

Sasuke stood up, feeling the presence come near him. Sasuke saw that there was a person wearing a black hoodie came up to him and stopped until he or she had reached the grass where the tree's shadow stopped.

Noticing the familiarity of the person's chakra, Sasuke said, "What are you doing here?"

The hooded figure was tackled down and all you could see was a blur of orange-yellow.

"Naruto, stop." Sasuke commanded.

Naruto, who was on top of the hooded figure, looked at Sasuke and said, "Huh, why Sasuke?"

"Because it's me, Itatchi," said the hooded man. He took off his hood, revealing his face and Naruto immediately jumped off of him and into the younger Uchiha's arms.

The moment Naruto landed in Sasuke's arms, Naruto fell hard on the floor lying on his back, dazed.

Sasuke sighed and lent Naruto a hand. Itatchi chuckled out loud as his friends walked towards them.

"Oi, Dobe, get up. You're making Hinata worried," Sasuke compromised. Hinata was biting her thumb nail nervously.

When Naruto finally got up, Neji, TenTen, Ino and Shikamaru were walking to Naruto and Itatchi them.

Ino let out a sigh of relief and said, "What are they doing here?"

"What? I can't come to an amusement park to have fun, little cousin?" Deidara whined.

Ino looked at him and stuck her tongue at him. He chuckled at her antics. Obviously, those two had a brother-sister relationship.

"What brings you here, Yahiko?" Naruto asked. Naruto liked Yahiko; he was a pretty cool guy. Naruto looked around and asked, "Where's Nagato and Konan?"

Yahiko replied, "Nagato's in the hospital in Konoha and Konan stayed at the village. Well, actually, we're on a mission." Naruto narrowed his eyes, suspiciously.

Sasuke crossed his arms and said, "What's your mission?"

Itatchi looked at Sasuke and said, "Shall I tell you, little brother?"

Sasuke glared at his older brother, hating it when Itatchi called him that in public, especially in the Human world.

They sat down and Itatchi said, "Well, actually, I should let the team Captain tell you the info."

Yahiko cleared his throat and looked at his fellow comrades and said, "Well, actually, our mission was to come find you guys." His stare landed on Naruto.

"Tsunade-Sama wants us to tell you that the Main Portal is closing tonight, specifically by midnight. All ninjas, it doesn't matter which village, are under order to retreat back into the Ninja World," Yahiko finished with a serious tone.

"Why?" Shikamaru asked, knowing that there was an important reason for this to happen.

Deidara looked at Shikamaru and said, "Well, someone caught on quite fast."

Itatchi informed, "Actually, all of the Kages have discussed about the lookout for Haruno Sakura and they have come to a conclusion to stop the search."

"Why?" Ino asked.

Naruto stood up abruptly and said, "NO, I know that Baa-Chan wants to continue the search! WE won't stop looking for her. We finally got a clue that WILL lead us to Haruno Sakura!"

"Ahem, like I was saying, the Kages want to delay the search and start again maybe in January?" Itatchi finished in a questioning tone.

"But it's only October, right now? January, that's next year. It's like what…three months from now." Naruto asked, hoping that he would be able to bring Sakura back.

"Well, Naruto, you said that you guys have a clue that should lead you to Sakura?" Sasori inquired, raising his eyebrows.

Naruto who was standing up, put his hands on his hips proudly and said, "Of course, we have!"

"And how do you know that it will be a success?" Itatchi asked. Naruto sat down and slumped his shoulders with his head hanging down.

"It's okay, Naruto." Hinata soothingly said. No response from Naruto.

"Well, what is your clue?" Yahiko asked.

Shikamaru filled the older ninjas in about their spectacular encounter with a friend of Sakura.

"Really? So a human happens to know Haruno Sakura and is going to tell this Sakura girl?" Deidara asked.

Naruto nodded his head. Itatchi was in deep thought and said, "That means that the human girl must be very close to Sakura."

Shikamaru mumbled a, "Yeah, you're right." Ino was in deep thoughts and said, "We just have to believe that Hana will lend us a hand!"

The big group of Konoha ninjas wandered their ways around the amusement park, unknown to the group of Humans.

~~~~~ STAY TUNED FOR ANOTHER CHAPTER OF~~~~~~

"WELCOME TO THE ENHANCED WORLD"

... OH, AND THANK YOU FOR ALL THE REVIEWS. PLEASE FEEL WELCOME TO SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS! :)


	10. Chapter 10

*Chapter 10: I Learn to Speak to the Wind! WoW!

Please R&R :)

_Thoughts- Italics_

**Inner Speaking- Bold**

Sakura POV:

I walked into the portal and EXPECTED to be in the Enhanced World.

Now, if I told you that I just popped out of the portal standing on the other side perfectly fine, then I'd be lying to you straight up.

This is how it went…

I walked in and came out, falling.

Well, actually, I fell from the sky. So how does a portal that starts with you walking on land take you and throw you in mid-air?

You see? This is exactly why I do not like Portal Traveling!

I fell from the sky with my face towards the ground.

"Oh, crud, this is bad, really bad," I muttered.

I could see a huge, thick green forest underneath me, waiting to scratch at me.

_Maybe if I fall on my back, I won't break an arm or leg? _

**Well, it's about time that you start to use your powers. **

_Um, yeah, about that… all I can do is heal and hopefully when I get to the ground, I won't be knocked out nor have my brains smashed out. _

**Like I said you don't know everything about you and this is why you have me. **

_Ok, so this power of mine, can you tell me how to use it and how's it going to help me from NOT dying right now? _

**You can manipulate the wind into helping you. **

_Manipulate? That sounds kind of bad. How about ask the almighty wind to give me a lift? Now, that sounds way better. _

**OK, just call out to it. **

_Just call out to it? How do I address it…just say 'Hey, Sally?' Or what? _

**Come on, it's not that hard. You can do it. It's actually pretty easy. Besides, I can't tell you everything. You gotta learn; get your hands dirty, experience. **

_Yeah, says the person who doesn't have to do anything much except die when I die._

**Hey, that's not true! I'm giving you a life-saving advice. So be grateful. **

_Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, I get it. Thanks and this better work! _

I noticed that the ground was getting too close and my eyes widened in fear.

"Oh, dear," I muttered, looking at anything but the ground.

I closed my eyes and thought, _This is crazy, but here goes. _I opened my eyes.

"Hey, um, Wind or, uh, Windy? What ever you prefer, but could you please lend me a helping hand or gust of wind? Either that or I'm going to die on the hard ground," I asked.

I sighed out loud and looked at the trees as they grew closer and closer to me.

I managed to flip onto my back and tighten my thick, red scarf around my neck.

"Well, if I fall, then I'll fall onto my back first!"

I looked at the sky and noticed that the sun wasn't there and neither was the moon. There were only stars.

"Uh, did the Enhance World really fall this low?" I wondered aloud. _But what does having no moon or sun have to do with me? No time to think about this._

I closed my eyes and waited for my death. _ I know it's a stupid way to die, but my only chance of survival was the wind. _

As I fell from the sky, I felt a gust of wind gently blow over my face.

My eyes shot open in an instant and I realized that I was already on the ground. I was lying on the soft grass.

I sat up and saw that the wind, that had smoothly carried me to the ground, had taken the form of a normal person.

It didn't have skin and bones and flesh like humans or ninjas, but it took the general shape and humanly features and outline.

It was clear and translucent. The wind had opened its mouth and a gentle breeze came towards me.

"You're Welcome," was what I heard as the breeze came past me.

I looked at the wind in awe until I realized what it had said.

I got onto my knees while mumbling an embarrassed 'thank you' and bowed to it as a major thank you. As I bowed to the wind, I smiled, remembering what my mom had told me when I was a young kid.

~~~ Sakura's Memory~~~~

"_Sakura, whenever Nature helps you, you must always bow to it. It is a sign of mutual respect and peace. Then, neither parties will be at war," Mom said. _

_I nodded my head and took my mother's hand. _

~~~ End of Memory~~~~~

The wind bowed in return and gracefully faded into the sky.

"Wow, that was amazing," I praised, falling onto my back.

I stared at the sky, curious at the thought of there being no moon or sun. The stars managed to provide enough light to make it seem like there was no need for the moon or sun.

I got up and dusted the back of my white floral dress and my black leggings.

"Time to go find my way out of here," I said. I looked around me and noticed that these trees were familiar.

I walked over to one of the trees and touched the huge jungle-like vines. They were thick and green, full of life.

I walked around and around the forest-maze. I sat down where I had started several minutes ago. _I've been going in circles. _

I sighed in frustration and laid on my back looking at the sky again.

"Why can't I find my way out?" I said. I almost didn't notice my black wig until I saw strands of the black hair float in the air.

I touched several strands of the black hair and entangled them between my index and middle finger.

"Why can't I find my way out of this place? And what is this place?" I whispered, staring at the strands of black hair.

I heard a chuckle behind me. I looked behind me to see…

* Please Review*

Who does Sakura see?

~~~~~Stay Tuned for Another Chapter of ~~~~~  
"Welcome to the Enhanced World"


	11. Chapter 11

*Chapter 11: Grandma?

Please R&R

_Thoughts- Italics_

**Inner Speaking- Bold**

Sakura POV:

I heard someone chuckle.

Quickly, I stood up on guard and looked behind me.

There was someone lurking in the shadows of the tree. The wind blew and I caught a series of shivers and goose bumps crawl all over my skin.

"Who's there?"I asked. _Well, this is the first time that I'm in a situation like this. _

"I said who's there? I know that someone's here besides me." I stated, putting my hands on my hips. _This is getting irritating. _

I heard the chuckle again and realized that the person was coming out from the shade.

_What if it's a bad guy or… someone really horrendous? Maybe I shouldn't have told the person to come out? Aww crap, what should I do?_

**One, relax and calm down. There is no way that you'll be able to survive the way you're acting right now. Two, be ready and on guard! Three, just try to survive.**

_Gee, thanks so much. It's not like I didn't think of that._

The person stepped out and remained unidentifiable because he or she was wearing a huge cloak.

I stared intently on the person. I looked at the stranger who chuckled again.

"Okay, seriously, what is so funny? I don't understand!" I said, clearly irritated.

The person took off their hood and I saw the face. It was an old man.

I stared at him and asked, "Who are you?"

He looked at me with his hungry eyes. And that's when I noticed that he had no eyes, just two empty sockets. _Eh, that's a bit freaky. Definitely, I have never had an encounter like this._

He lunged at me with his arms out like a zombie. I saw his hands and it looked like he had suffered from some severe rashes.

I leapt out of his reach and ran the other direction as I racked my mind for solutions.

_Um, did I bring any weapons? _**I'm sorry but no, you didn't.**

_Ok, now what? Plan B? _**Not currently, but I will come up with Plan B meanwhile you should try to stay alive, got that? **

_Yep, no need to tell me that. Well, then, you better hurry up. _

As I was dodging branches and jumping over mini bushes, I looked behind and noticed that the zombie-man was catching up.

"Okay, so who has no eyes but has every other body part?" I asked while running and jumping. _ Are you ready with Plan B yet? _**Sorry, not yet, keep on running. **

I sighed and turned to hide somewhere and that's when I saw a tree several meters away.

I looked behind me to see that the man was falling behind me; I took this chance to run even faster 'till I got to the tree.

This tree was split in the middle of the trunk, so it kind of had this opening for me to hide.

I ducked and rolled my way into the tree's trunk and pulled my knees to my chest even though I was lying on my side. I held my breath, hoping that the man wouldn't hear my heavy breathing.

I heard his footsteps and then I saw his feet. They had the same things that his hands had. He moaned and continued to sway his arms as if he were in some kind of trance.

_Is he sick?_ **No, he's being controlled but this must be some kind of illness.**

_Okay, but who controls someone with no eyes? _**The mastermind might have taken out their eyes? I don't know. **

I looked at the man's shifting feet. _That would mean that he relies on his other senses other than sight. _

I saw him fall on the ground. _What in the world is he doing?_

Then, I realized what he was doing. He had put his ear on the ground to see if he could hear any movements.

The man was several meters from me, but I could clearly see his eye sockets. _Gross._

His mouth opened in delight and I saw that he was coming towards me.

I put my hands over my mouth and closed my eyes shut. I was trapped in a corner.

_Someone, anyone, Nature, please help me. Lend me a hand. _

Why did I ask Nature for help? I don't know or maybe it was because I figured that since the wind helped me then maybe something from nature would help me again.

I opened my eyes and saw that the split in the tree trunk had closed up, allowing for nothing to come in. I let out a sigh of relief. _Woo! Two points for nature! Thanks tree. _

"If I could bow right now, I would," I whispered to the tree, softly patting the inside of the tree. I know it sounds really crazy that I'm bowing and thanking trees and winds and nature, but hey I'm alive. I've seen enough things to make a human go nut.

In response, I felt the tree warm up. _Hey, it's trying to keep me warm. _

"Aww, thanks." I said, smiling. I felt my eyes flutter, wanting to go to sleep.

I looked around and noticed that the inside of the tree was pretty spacious. I stretched and heard the man wailing in pain.

_What is going on out there?_

I heard a body collapse on the ground as footsteps stopped in front of the tree.

I gulped and the tree opened up. _Well, if you opened up, Tree, then that must mean that I'm in no danger. _

I crawled out of the tree and looked at my clothes; there wasn't a single speck of dirt or dust on me. "Wow, Tree, you took care of me pretty good," I praised, patting the outside of the tree.

"Ahem, excuse me," a lady said. Well, to be more exact, it was an old lady.

I looked up at the old lady and studied her. She could be old enough to be a grandma.

She was a light pale color like she could fade away any minute.

Her messy brown bun was undone; some strands of hair were down.

She was wearing an ankle length skirt that was brown like the dirt but she managed to make it graceful. Her white shirt was pretty normal except it looked really silky. And her shoes, it was basically normal ninja sandals.

_Well, at least, I'm not the only one with no fashion sense. _

I looked at her light brown eyes with my fake brown contacts.

She stared at me with a look that said 'I know you but I may not'.

I stared back at her until I had another memory pop up in my mind.

~~~Beginning~~~~

_I was walking with my grandma._

_We were in our big back yard and I was pulling her hands and saying, "Hurry, we have to go tell Daddy that mom wants to tell him something." I looked at the brown haired/eyed lady. _

_She smiled at me and said, "I know, but I'm getting old now; I can't run like you… I'm too old." _

~~~ End~~~

My eyes widened as I finally realized who the old lady was.

"Grandma?" I asked with big eyes.

My grandma stared back at me with her brown eyes and said, "Did you dye your hair, Sakura?"

~~~ Stay Tuned for Another Chapter of ~~~

"Welcome to the Enhanced World"

*Please review

* HAVE A HAPPY JULY 4TH! :)


	12. Chapter 12

*Chapter 12: United

Please R&R

_Thoughts- Italics_

**Inner Speaking- Bold**

Sakura POV:

My eyes widened as I finally realized who the old lady was.

"Grandma?" I asked with big eyes.

My grandma stared back at me with her brown eyes and said, "Did you dye your hair, Sakura?"

I stared at my grandma. I was feeling a million emotions at this moment.

My eyes were teary. _I will not tear up over this. _ I bit the bottom of my lips to stop me from crying.

I forced a smile at my grandma as she offered her hand to me, helping me get off of the ground.

Grandma pulled me in for a tight hug and mumbled, "Oh, my sweet flower… you've grown so much. I'm so proud of you."

I nodded my head, staying quiet because I was afraid that if I said something I might burst into tears.

"I missed you, grandma," I said, thankfully my voice managed to not break. Her hand softly and smoothly caressed my black hair.

"So… did you really dye your hair?" Grandma asked.

I shook my head and said, "No, it's just a wig."

"And your eyes?" she asked. "Contacts." I replied. She nodded understandingly.

"Come on, we should get going," Grandma said, pulling me with her.

"What about the guy?" I asked. She shook her head and said, "I'm not taking him with me and besides he was at his limit."

I gave her a curious look and said, "What do you mean?"

Grandma shook her head and said, "I forgot, you haven't been in the Enhanced World for a while. Let's get out of here first."

We walked away from the man and entered into a clearing that had two gigantic oak trees standing there, kind of like guards.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"We're going to be leaving this place. You see these two trees? Between them is a portal," she clarified. I nodded my head like I used to always do when I was young.

Grandma let go of my hand and held her hands out, one hand on each tree. Then, the portal became visible. It was really visible; like any ninja or human could see it clearly.

She took a step and turned to look at me. "Come on, no need to hesitate," Grandma said.

I gulped and took her hand. _Hopefully, we won't fall from the sky once we enter._

As we entered the portal, I looked at my grandma. For a second, she looked like a hologram, almost like she would fade any second.

I shook my head, trying to get rid of that thought.

_It doesn't matter; we're finally united after all these years. _

- Please Review -

* I made this chapter kind of short -_-

But the next chapter will be longer! So stay Tuned for Another Chapter of…

"Welcome to the Enhanced World" 


	13. Chapter 13

*Chapter 13: Internal Conflicts

Please R&R

_Thoughts- Italics_

**Inner Speaking- Bold**

Sakura POV:

I have to admit this time it wasn't so bad when my grandma and I exited the portal.

It was like walking through a door.

Even through my converse, I could feel the soft grass underneath my feet. This place felt different from the previous place that I met the zombie-man. I looked around the lively and peaceful place.

"What is this place?'' I asked a loud, forgetting that my grandma was here with me.

"This is a very secluded and private area Sakura," she said, startling me. I looked at her with a curious expression.

"What do you mean?" I asked. No response came from her. Grandma continued to walk ahead of me, leaving me to quietly follow her.

We wove our way around the green trees and bushes and blooming flowers.

I stared around in awe.

_I can't believe this is real. Who would've thought that such a place would have existed? This is even better than my private area in the Human World. _

**You can say that again. **

"Sakura, we're here," Grandma said, staring at me.

I saw a little cottage house with big trees surrounding it. There were two mini gardens that were on both sides of the house. A cobblestone pathway led your way to the porch of the cottage. Flowers were aligned on the edges of the pathway.

"Wow," was all I managed to say. _Definitely, this place is like the Garden of Eden. _

Grandma smiled at me and led me to her little house.

As I walked on the porch, I noticed that the wood that was used to build this porch was a dark brown tinted with a dark shade of red. _Maybe the porch was made out of Red Wood Trees?_

The porch was really smooth; I looked to see if there were any signs of the floor being waxed. None.

I entered Grandma's house.

As soon as you enter the house, on the left side of the house is the kitchen/dining area and on the right side would be a bedroom. The bed is in a corner and across the bed is a desk and next to the desk is a rocking chair.

There is only one window, which is in the kitchen.

I closed the door and looked at my grandma.

"Sakura, sit down," she said, motioning at the bed. I walked to the bed and sat down, staring at the peach colored walls.

I looked across the little house and saw that my grandma was making tea.

I looked out the window and saw that there was a Sakura tree right outside of the window.

_What? I thought that the trees were green? Okay…this is weird._

Grandma walked over and sat in the rocking chair after setting the tray of tea on the little table.

"So, Sakura, how have you been doing?" she asked, while stirring her tea after putting a bit of sugar.

I sighed and looked at the wall and said, "Honestly, Grandma, I am so confused. I don't know what's going on. I really am lost." I looked at my hands.

"Well, first of all Sakura, I am really proud of you," Grandma said, setting her tea on the tray.

She got up and sat next to me on the bed. I turned myself so that I was sitting cross-legged with my body positioned towards her.

"Sakura, I will tell you what is going on, but here is one thing YOU need to know. Who are you?"Grandma asked, her eyebrows rose up emphasizing her question.

"What do you mean?" I asked. "I know who I am… well, I'm pretty sure," I mumbled to myself. I looked up at my grandmother. Her brown eyes were kind and strong with emotion.

She was so confident in herself… and in me.

She was graceful and wise.

But I'm different from Grandma. I mean I am confident in myself, but I'm still trying to find my place…my world.

"Oh, what am I doing? I really don't know what I am trying to do! I AM Haruno Sakura, but for some reason… I just really don't know where I belong. I feel like I'm missing pieces of me and I need those pieces to be …me." I ranted with my hands in the air.

Grandma looked at me and said, "Well, at least you know that. I would understand why you feel that way. After all, you have been living in the Human World for eleven years and at the same time, you are aware of ninjas and the Enhanced World. It's like living in two worlds at the same time. But, there is a way for you to really find yourself."

She put her hand on her chest right above her heart.

I put my hand over my heart and looked at my Grandma. "In here?" I asked.

Grandma nodded and said, "It's all in here." She lightly tapped on her chest.

"But how?" I asked. She shrugged and said, "That's something for you to find out."

I nodded and said, "But where do I start? Konoha?"

Again, she shrugged and simply said, "Sakura, like I said, only YOU know where YOU must go. No one can tell you. Sure, people will be there to help you and guide you with advices, but you have the power to choose where to move. Your journey is starting."

I looked at the window across the room and stared at the Sakura tree. '

"You noticed, huh?" Grandma asked.

I tore my eyes away from the tree and said, "Yeah, when we first got here the tree was green but now it's pink."

"That's because YOU are here, Sakura," she answered, folding her hands onto her lap.

"Why? Why is it because of me? Why are those ninjas looking for me?" I asked, feeling a bit of irritation build up.

"Because you are the last Haruno," Grandma replied.

I felt a sharp pain in my chest.

I asked, "What do you mean? … Mom and Dad… they're not… alive?" My eyes felt watery.

Grandma sighed as if she wanted to cry too.

I looked at her and said, "Where are they?" She stared at me for a minute.

"Well, I don't know the whole story, but I'm sure that your parents are still alive," she confidently said.

She got up to put away the tea after realizing that I wasn't going to drink any.

I stared at the wall. _ So, everything is up to me? But how do I find my way out of this? How can I find my parents?_

"Sakura, you wanted to know why the tree changed. It's because it senses that you are the true Haruno," Grandma clarified, "How do the trees know who you are? Why did the tree help you when the man was chasing after you? Why did the wind save you when you were falling from the sky?"

I nodded my head and said, "Yes, Grandma. I would like to know."

She smiled and said, "Many centuries ago when ninjas were able to call upon the aid of Nature, ninjas were also able to access more than two Elements. The ancestors of your mother, the Heiwa, were a clan that had always lived in peace with nature. They were the only clan that could call upon Nature at any time. Your father's ancestors, the Haruno, were the only clan that could access all five of the Elements."

_The five Elements? _

**Fire, Wind, Water, Lightning and Earth.**

I tucked a few strands of the black hair behind my ear and asked, "So does that mean that you can interact with Nature since you are a Heiwa?"

Grandma laughed and said, "Just because I am a Heiwa doesn't mean that I have the ability to interact with Nature. It's a kekkai Genkai. A long time ago, Nature and the Heiwa clan made an agreement to make this ability a kekkai Genkai. Therefore, no one would abuse the power. But since I inherited the Kekkai Genkai then I do have the ability to call upon Nature."

I nodded with my finger on my chin.

"What about dad?" I asked.

"Oh, your father, well it's the same with the Heiwa clan if you're talking about the ability to use the five Elements. It's just an inherited ability," Grandma answered.

"But... what happened to both of the clan?" I asked, curious of how I am the only Haruno/Heiwa left.

Grandma's face turned grave and said, "They were assassinated."

I stood up on my knees on the bed with the blankets clutched in my fists.

"But how? And why?" I asked, half yelling and whispering. I sat down.

"Jealousy, Fear, Anger, Resentment. It was all because of these humanly emotions that controlled other ninjas from all villages to massacre the Heiwa Clan and Haruno Clan. They spared no one. I was lucky enough to escape with your mother and the same goes for your father. I don't know how he escaped but the good thing is that he managed to. The only village that did not participate in the death of the two clans was the Leaf Village," Grandma said, staring off into space as if she were remembering the memories of having to flee from death.

_So mom was with Grandma and dad had no one with him. He was truly the last Haruno and now that he's not here then… I really am the last Haruno?_

"Sakura, would you like to come see the garden? I am going to water them," Grandma asked. I jumped off the bed and said, "Of course!"

My mom, grandma and I all had green thumbs. Maybe it was because we had Nature with us? But still, I loved to plant because it made me feel closer to my mom.

I remember when I was planting with my mom when I was younger and when I was still living in Konoha. We had a big back yard and all sorts of flowers and plants bloomed there all year long.

Grandma told me to stay back as she lifted up her hands and water from the stream came floating in the mid air. She moved her hands and the long line of water sprinkled onto the soil like graceful rain.

Grandma turned to smile at me and said, "Why don't you give it a try, Sakura?"

I looked at her with hopefulness and nodded my head.

I switched spots with her and lifted my hands in the air. I could feel the power of Nature. My hands felt really heavy. It felt heavier than Gravity. I looked at the stream nearby and saw that only a little bit of water was barely floating in the air.

I dropped my hands and the water splashed back into the stream, flowing downstream.

I looked at my hands, feeling defeated. **What are you doing? Give it another try!**

"Yosh! Okay," I prepped myself up, patting my cheeks.

I loosened my thick red scarf and pulled up my black sweater's sleeves.

I closed my eyes, feeling the power of Nature flowing all around me.

"Calm yourself. Feel the power of Nature, feel it within you," I heard Grandma say.

I slowly lifted my hands when all of a sudden a huge gust of wind slammed into me. I almost fell down but I fought against the wind, holding my ground.

I opened my eyes and stared across the stream.

Someone or something was coming.

- Stay Tuned for Another Chapter of -

"Welcome to the Enhanced World"

Please Review! :)


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Made My Decision!

Please R&R

_Thoughts- Italics_

**Inner Speaking- Bold**

Sakura POV:

I stared across the stream and into the woods. Someone, no, something was coming.

This power was too supernatural for an enhanced person to possess.

The trees started to shake and dance as the thing came closer.

The plants and grass, well, basically anything related to Nature seemed like it came alive.

My hands were by my sides and I saw Grandma sit on her knees, ready to bow.

I looked back at the thing and saw that it had stopped at the stream.

"Amazing," I whispered, still standing in awe.

The thing had taken the form of a heaven-looking lady. This felt so ethereal.

**Um, hello? What are you doing? Aren't you going to bow? **_Oh, yeah… kind of got mesmerized. _

Quickly, I bowed down to the spirit that had taken a human form. I heard the lady laugh.

It was a musical laugh and not a mean laugh. It was a happy laugh full of joy.

I looked at the lady and she said, "Sakura Haruno, you may rise." I stood up.

I looked at grandma and she was still on her knees. **She can't get up because she wasn't addressed to get up yet. **_Oh, okay. _ It's a part of being respectful, I guess.

I stared at the lady with curiosity and confidence. _I guess I'll talk first. _

"Who are you?" I asked. The lady chuckled and said, "I knew that you were here in the sacred territory of the Heiwa Clan, Haruno Sakura."

"You can call me Sakura, please. And what about this being the scared land of the Heiwa Clan?" I asked, looking back at Grandma.

The lady looked at Grandma and said, "I see, your Grandma didn't tell you yet. It's alright though; I figured you'd have to hear it more than once. Listen well, Sakura."

Her stare landed on me and she continued to stare at me for a few minutes.

I shifted uncomfortably under her stare. She smiled and said, "Indeed, you are a Heiwa as well as a Haruno. You look like your mother, but I wonder how you got pink hair?"

I felt a burst of anger. _ NO ONE talks about my hair. _

"Well, it's one hundred percent natural," I defended in a snarky tone, crossing my arms.

I head Grandma say, "Sakura." She didn't want me to upset the lady.

"No, it's fine. I didn't mean to offend you, Sakura. Truly, I apologize," the lady said.

"No problem. I just take comments about my hair seriously," I said, not uncrossing my arms.

"Indeed, you are the daughter of them. You have the determination of your parents. You have a bit of everything they have but more because you have your own. You have your own determination, stubbornness, patience and strength," the lady praised.

I mumbled a quick, "Thanks." _I guess that's a compliment?_

The lady looked at the stream and whispered, "It's good that you have your own will because your journey will be hard." I barely heard that part.

I looked at her with questions forming on my lips. _How does she know that?_

"Who are you?" I asked.

"I'm sorry I forgot to introduce myself. I am Nature. This is the only sacred ground of the Heiwa Clan. But as you can see on one has been here for a while," she finished.

I looked at her and questioned, "You are Nature?" She nodded and a small smile played upon her lips.

I nodded to myself and said, "What about this place again? I know it's the Heiwa's sacred ground, but what is so special about it?"

"Basically, it's the only place that I protect," Nature said.

I muttered, "I see." _Why is she really here? Is she checking on me?_

"So, why are you really here?" I asked, unfolding my arms and dropping them to my sides.

The lady smiled and said, "Perceptive, I see. I actually came here to tell you that the Enhanced World needs some help. Unfortunately, I won't tell you any more info until you go to the Enhanced World yourself. You have to find out for yourself. So Sakura, what are you going to do? Are you going to stay here or go to the Enhanced World?"

I asked, "What do you mean? You talk as if we aren't in the Enhanced World. Isn't the sacred ground of the Heiwa Clan apart of the Enhanced World?"

The lady shook her head and said, "Another thing I have to tell you, I guess. This place is protected by me; therefore, I moved it closer to me. You could say that this place is in a different dimension from the other two worlds."

I shook my head and said, "I'm sorry but I don't really understand. So you're saying that there are more than two worlds?"

"No, there are only two worlds. The Human and the Enhanced and that's it. You see, only Heiwas can travel through portals and summon portals. Normal humans and ninjas can't. Humans can not travel through portals at all; it would severely damage them or kill them. Ninjas can only travel through portals and probably survive. However, ninjas cannot summon portals, except for your Heiwa ancestors. Actually, ninjas cannot withstand portal traveling for too long; they experience illness or could possibly die," she gravely finished with an amused smile on her lips.

"Okay, so there are only two worlds? But what about this place?" I asked.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you that huh? Well, like I said earlier, this place is just a dimension in between the two worlds. However, there are NOT a lot of dimensions. To tell you the truth, there are only two dimensions," she said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"For example, when you exited the Human World, where did you end up? You ended up in the dimension with the zombie-man, right? That would be the first dimension and this, the sacred grounds, is the second dimension. Your grandma opened a portal and here you are standing alive in the second dimension. But you really aren't in neither Worlds," she clarified.

I nodded my head and said, "Okay, I guess that makes sense now. But why are there only two dimensions?"

"Well, actually, for YOU a Heiwa, there are two dimensions. For ninjas (aka: Enhanced people), it's actually just one dimension. Ninjas who are not of the Heiwa descendants can not come to the sacred grounds. I only allowed for one dimension because if there are more dimensions, that would give ninjas a higher chance of finding ways to dominate both worlds. Not that any ninja would want WORLDS domination, but there are some pretty evil minded ninjas out in the Enhanced world," she explained.

"It's scary to imagine what ninjas could possibly do," the lady added, mainly thinking to herself out loud.

I put my finger on my chin and nodded. "So, I should go to the Enhanced world?" I asked.

The lady shrugged and said, "I don't know. Do YOU know? Now that's what YOU should ask yourself. Well, I've done my part; it's time for you, Sakura." She turned to leave and the trees started to sway again in a synchronized dance.

"Wait, will I see you again?" I asked, hoping that I would.

She turned around, smiled and said, "I'm always with you… just in many ways. Just call out to me if you need me, Sakura." She faded away as the trees calmed down.

I turned to look at my Grandma and said, "Well, at least I know that now."

Grandma got up and said, "Sakura, I was going to tell you that but I never got the chance."

I smiled at her and said, "It's okay." I was going to walk into the house when I saw grandma start to waver, kind of like a television channel that had bad connection.

I turned around to look at Grandma and asked, "Grandma, what's wrong with you? I know there's something weird going on.''

Grandma took my hand and said, "Sakura, I was going to tell you the reason why I didn't tell you all of those things that Nature just told you."

I tilted my head in response to her comment.

Grandma's hands in my hands. Her hands felt cold, but earlier her hand was warm? _What is going on?_

"Do you still have your necklace?" Grandma asked.

I looked at Grandma and took the necklace out from underneath my clothes. "Right here," I said.

She touched the blue crystal and said, "I'll always be with you."

"What are you saying, Grandma?" I asked touching her face. She was cold.

"I stayed here waiting for you all these years. It's good to know that you are well. I know that you will do well, Sakura. Just believe in yourself," Grandma said, pulling me into a hug.

As we hugged, it finally hit me.

I pulled back to look at her and said, "Grandma did you…?" she nodded.

"You sealed your spirit here? Why? Was it to wait for me?" I asked.

She shook her head and said, "It's because I loved you and so did your parents. Before we were going to take you to the Human World, we came up with a plan to help you when you would come back to the Enhanced World. I sealed my soul here in the sacred grounds of the Heiwa Clan. I waited for you to come and now that you are here, I have helped you even in the tiniest way of finding your destiny, Sakura."

I held her hands tighter and whispered, "Deep inside, I knew that you were a spirit. I just didn't want to believe it."

I felt Grandma's hold on my hands loosen as she pulled back to look at me.

_Aww man, I'm gonna start tearing up. I gotta hold it back. _

"I love you, Sakura. We are always with you," Grandma said, smiling.

She started to fade into the darkening sky. Dragonflies came out, shining their bright, little lights in the air.

I quickly wiped my tears and said, "Goodbye, Grandma."

The wind blew a gentle gust. My black hair danced in the air.

"I'm done with pretending to be High School Girl Haruno Sakura," I said.

I pulled off my wig and let my real and natural, silky pink hair fall down. I took off the blue contacts and revealed my emerald eyes.

The moon was out tonight and it was shining brightly.

I smiled to myself and said, "Here I come, Konoha. You better be ready for the real Haruno Sakura."

I walked to the stream where the dragonflies danced with light. With no hesitation at all, I opened a portal.

"This will definitely take me to Konoha," I said with full confidence.

_With so many people with me, I will do my best. I am not weak. _

_I am the daughter of the only survivors of the Heiwa and Haruno Clans. _

*STAY TUNED FOR ANOTHER CHAPTER OF….

"WELCOME TO THE ENHANCED WORLD"

-PLEASE REVIEW!


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Dirtied Gloves

Please R&R

_Thoughts- Italics_

**Inner Speaking- Bold**

General POV:

Meanwhile back at Konoha, it was night time. And Tsunade was drinking sake… again.

**BAM!**

Tsunade slammed the bottle of sake on the hard wood table and said, "Damn it, Shizune, Why can't you let me drink in peace?"

The dark-haired woman, Shizune said, "Tsunade-sama, you haven't finished your paper works yet. Please go back and finish it." She looked at Tsunade with firmness, willing to do whatever it took to get the drunken lady back into her office.

The two close friends stared down each other until Tsunade threw her hands up in the air. "Fine, I give up!" Tsunade said. She quickly paid her bill and left the shop and walked out.

Tsunade took a deep breath of the clean and fresh air. "Ahh, the cold air of Konoha is always the best, especially after drinking…Right Shizune?" Tsunade asked, turning to look at Shizune.

"Ah… Actually, Tsunade-sama, I wouldn't know; I don't really drink," Shizune said.

Tsunade looked at her assistant and said, "You could've just agreed with me, Shizune. But then again, you are a softie...especially when it comes to drinking!" Tsunade let out a laugh.

Shizune blushed in embarrassment and scolded, "Tsunade-sama! You don't have to rub it in my face; Geez, it's not like I don't know that! Hurry up, we need to get going to the office! You have work to finish!" She stomped off with her pig trailing behind her.

Tsunade smiled and took her sweet time following Shizune back to the office. _ I wonder how Sakura's doing. _

To tell you the truth, Sakura was one of the main reasons why Konoha's Hokage, Tsunade, was drinking. The Hokage was extremely worried about Sakura even though she hadn't seen Sakura since the Haruno family last left. By the way, that was eleven years ago.

Tsunade sighed and swayed her arms from her sides. _I have to believe that she's living well and that she is surviving. _

She looked at the building where the Hokage works and for Tsunade, this was the building where she fell asleep… most of the times. She pushed open the big door and entered. Tsunade made her way up the stairs and into her office where she knew Shizune was already.

"Man, why is Shizune so into doing work...maybe I should make her do them for me?" Tsunade muttered as she opened the door to her office. She looked at her ninja-packed room and said, "What the hell?"

"Why are you all here? This is an office for goodness sakes," the female Hokage complained.

When Tsunade finally made her way into her seat and was sitting comfortably, she asked, "So, what's your problem?"

Kakashi, the half-face masked ninja, stepped up and said, "Tsunade-Sama, our barriers have been breached." In response, Tsunade let both of her fists pounce on the table.

"What. Did. You. just. Say?" Tsunade asked, pissed off.

Naruto decided to say, "Baa-Chan, we'll go find the intruders."

The angry Hokage looked at Naruto and said to Kakashi, "Intruders? There's more than one? How could you let this happen? Weren't you guys guarding the…"

Tsunade was so fed up that she couldn't even finish her sentence; instead, she threw up her hands and demanded, "Oh, what ever. Just tell me how many people there are."

Guy stepped up and said, "Naruto-kun was wrong. Actually, it's just one person who managed to slip past the barriers."

Tsunade's eyes slightly widened and she asked, "How could someone manage to do that? Don't our barriers shock intruders?"

Neji popped out from the small crowd of ninjas and said, "Yes, Tsunade-Sama. I'm on the barrier team and Hinata and I made sure that the barrier features went according to your desires." Hinata nodded in agreement.

"What will you do now, Hokage-Sama?" Itatchi asked, with his friends lined up behind him.

Besides doing paperwork, Tsunade's other job was to lead her comrades and protect her village.

Tsunade spun her chair so that her back was facing her fellow ninjas. She stared out at the village through her window and said, "We have to protect the village. Tonight, I will participate in the lookout for the stranger."

Tsunade spun her chair and commanded, "Neji and Hinata, you guys go with Lee and TenTen. You four will keep an eye on the other ninjas who are defending the barrier. If anything happens, help them out. Deidara and Sai keep a look out. You two will be scouting the sky for the intruder. Guy and Shikamaru, I need you guys to keep an eye on the villagers. That includes you too Shizune. Naruto, Kakashi, Sasuke, and Itatchi, you four are coming with me."

After everyone divided, Tsunade muttered to herself, "We're low on ninjas; I had to send a lot of them on missions. Hopefully, this will do."

"Of course, it will," Kakashi said, still standing as Tsunade turned her chair around to look at him. "I know it will," Tsunade responded.

As Tsunade's group left the building and mingled into the village, Naruto pounded his hand to his fist and said, "Baa-Chan, if you're coming, then does that mean that the intruder is really strong?"

Tsunade shook her head and said, "I don't know; I just have a feeling that I should tag a long."

The Uchiha brothers took this into their minds and prepared themselves for the intruder.

As Tsunade's group got closer to the main gate, the trees started to shake and dance. The leaves were twirling and flapping.

A slight breeze came and then Tsunade stopped, holding a hand up for her other team members to stop.

Naruto looked around and said, "What's going on? Why are the trees swaying so much?"

Tsunade said, "The intruder's coming closer." Sasuke and Naruto tensed up ready to fight. Itatchi stood still, trying to pinpoint the intruder's Chakra.

Tsunade looked at the trees and whispered, "This is exactly as before." She looked at the tall trees on the outside of the main gate.

"Someone's coming from the trees," Kakashi said. Itatchi looked at the masked man and wondered, _how does Kakashi-san know that someone's outside of the gate?_

"It's okay. The gate is closed so this gives us more time to come up with a plan," Naruto said. Sasuke shook his head and said, "It's not that easy, Dobe."

And then, a hard wind blew the gates open. The metal holding the gates closed flew in the air. The wind gently set the metal bar on the ground, leaving no sound.

"The intruder doesn't want to attract attention," Itatchi said, catching on to the intruder's plans.

Naruto yelled, "Oi, hurry up and get your ass out here!"

The wind smacked into Naruto, causing Naruto to fall flat on his butt.

The gate was wide open and the intruder came out, wearing a big black cloak.

A hard and big gust of wind smacked the intruder's hood off, revealing a guy probably in his early twenties.

"Damn, what is with this wind?" he muttered as he held his arm to protect himself from the wind.

Naruto jumped into the wind's current and was thrown into the guy. The man was smashed into the tree with Naruto crushing him on top.

"Stop the wind! Somebody!" Naruto managed to yell. The wind was so strong that Naruto and the intruder could not move.

And then, a portal appeared and out stepped a girl with pink hair. She was wearing a floral dress with black leggings and converse on. Her red scarf was flying around her neck as her black, baggy sweater looked like Superman's cape when he was flying.

The wind grew stronger as the pink-haired girl locked her stare onto the intruder.

Only then did she notice that Naruto was crushing her victim. She quickly walked over and threw Naruto off of him like a rag doll. Naruto landed in front of Sasuke, dizzy.

The wind was howling and all Tsunade's group could see was the pink-haired girl beating the crap out of the intruder. With each punch, the intruder got a bruise.

"Please, stop the wind! It's too strong and I'm getting dizzy," Naruto yelled.

The wind stopped when the girl stopped punching the guy; he was unconscious and bleeding.

"Hmph! That's what you get you freaking bastard. Talking crap about my hair that's one thing but talking shit about my mother is a WHOLE different level," she muttered, glaring at the moaning intruder.

Tsunade looked at the pink-haired girl and said, "Sakura? Is that you?"

The pissed off girl looked at Tsunade and said, "Yeah, it's me, Sakura… and you are…OH MY GOSH! Is that you Tsunade-Sama? It is you, isn't it?"

Tsunade walked over to Sakura and said, "You're actually here…in Konoha, but why?"

Sakura replied, "Um, it's a long story… so how about we do something about that guy first and then talk later in private."

Tsunade looked at her team and they made their way to check out the guy's injuries.

Kakashi came back and said, "The intruder is unconscious. He has a few broken bones and some loose tooth, but overall he just has a lot of bruises. It looks like he won't be going anywhere else for now." His gaze landed on Sakura and she bowed to him and introduced herself.

"Kakashi, I'll leave that man to you. Take him to the jail cell first and then we'll go from there. Itatchi and Sasuke, go check in with the others and Naruto come with me and Sakura," Tsunade ordered.

Tsunade looked at Sakura who was looking around curiously.

"Um… Tsunade-Sama, is there any where I could wash my hands?"Sakura asked.

Sakura's black gloves were dirtied with the man's blood.

"Of course, Sakura and Welcome to Konoha," Tsunade stated.

*STAY TUNED FOR ANOTHER CHAPTER OF…

"WELCOME TO THE ENHANCED WORLD"

PLEASE REVIEW!


	16. Chapter 16

*Chapter 16: Dirtied Gloves (SAKURA POV )

Please R&R

_Thoughts- Italics_

**Inner Speaking- Bold**

**** FYI: This is Sakura's POV continuing from chapter 14 *****

Sakura POV:

I stepped into the portal and walked out of the portal in a flash.

"Well, that was easy," I breathed, stuffing my hands into the pockets of my black sweater.

_Okay, so all I have to do is find my way to Konoha._

I spinned around, surveying my environment; I was in a forest. AGAIN. _What is it with forests?_

"Okay, I was pretty sure that I would be in Konoha?" I whispered to myself. I looked up through the trees and at the big moon. It was night time in Konoha.

I started to walk around the forest until I realized that the forest was probably really gigantic in size. So, I used my chakra and walked up the dark brown tree and stood on top of the tree.

The wind slightly blew behind, letting me know that it was there to help me.

I mumbled a, 'Thanks.' I put one hand above my eyes to see better.

"Nothing," I said, sighing and dropping my hand to my sides.

I jumped from tree to tree, hoping that I would be going the right direction.

I don't know how long it was but I sensed someone's chakra trailing behind me, so I dove off of the tree and onto the ground and hid behind a tree.

The person's footsteps were hurried and hasty. _I wonder who it could be… a Konoha ninja?_

I crouched down so that I was the same level as the bushes that were in front of the tree.

The person wore a black cloak and stated out loud, "Who's here?" It was a male's voice.

_He doesn't sound that old, probably a little older than me. _**Keep your guard up.** _Yeah, yeah, I know. _

"I said, who's here?" he asked again.

_Should I go out or what? What if he's looking for me? What if he's not a Konoha ninja?_

**It's your choice. **

I took a deep gulp and stepped up with my hands up in the air. I accidently stepped on a twig and the man immediately stared at me cautiously.

"Who are you?" he asked. I stayed silent, analyzing him. _Definitely, he's suspicious. _

"I said who are you? Take off your hood… did you hear me? Oh, don't tell me you're mute," he finished saying, putting his hands on his pouch. He pulled out a kunai.

"Oh, shut up already. I'm not mute, you dumb ass," I shot back at him, pulling off my hood. I glared at him. _He's on my bad side. _

He burst out laughing. I glared at him and fought the urge to punch him.

"What's your issue?" I asked, putting my hands on my hips. The wind slightly blew and I held a hand behind my back, hoping that the wind would understand that I didn't need help yet. Well, it was more like I didn't want trouble yet.

The guy stood up after laughing so hard that he fell on the ground. He wiped his happy tears and explained, "Sorry, it's just that… I've never seen anyone with pink hair. Is it natural? I bet you dyed it; man, you should've gone for a different color. Well, you are pretty cute, but I figured that girls go for the 'I'm-sexy' look, you get what I'm saying?"

I felt a vein pop somewhere inside of me. There was an awkward silence for the man and the silence for me was just a moment where I tried so hard not to kill him.

"Well, actually, this pink hair that you're gawking at is ONE HUNDRED PERCENT REAL and NATURAL. So, you should really shut your mouth," I said in a bitchy attitude, crossing my arms and glaring at him.

His eyes widened and I smirked at him.

"Then, what about your mother? What hair color did she have? Red? Green? Purple or a mixture of colors? Oh, wait a minute… did your mom happen to have sex with so many guys that you came out with pink hair?" he asked, with a mocking tone.

"Oh, you got it now. You. Freaking. Annoying. Bastard. I am so going to kick your ass and then you'll really wish that you never ever said that to me," I spat out with anger and venom radiating off of me.

He took a bow and said, "I'm sorry, but I really have to go now. I have a village to destroy. Maybe sometime later we can have a friendly chat?" he flashed a smile and disappeared, leaving nothing behind except for black leaves.

"Friendly chat… Yeah, right. Kiss my foot, you A-hole," I muttered, tightening my fists.

_I'm so not going to let him get off the hook. _

I leaned on the tree and remembered what he said: "I have a village to destroy." _It's not everyday that someone has a village or city to destroy. _

When I thought about that, I felt sick in my stomach. I really don't know why though. I don't even remember anything about Konoha. My fists tightened up. _I can't let Konoha get destroyed; I need Konoha to find my parents and even more. _

I sighed and then said, "Oh, well, I guess this really does give me a reason to kick his ass. It'll be fun."

I started to run in the direction that I was previously going.

The cool wind smoothed my hair as I ran.

"Um, so Nature, am I going in the right direction? You know to Konoha?" I asked.

The wind howled and then I heard a gentle 'yes'. I smiled and muttered a 'Thanks.'

_How big is this forest?_ _It feels like I've been here for a while. _

I stopped and asked, "Okay, Nature, so where exactly am I?"

I turned to look at the tree and saw Nature pop out of the tree. She was the color of the tree. She looked like she was made out of tree bark.

"Sakura, Konoha has a barrier. It's a pretty advanced barrier. That's why the portal dropped you in the forest that surrounds Konoha. But since you're closer to Konoha, you can try portal traveling. Just don't get too close to the barrier," Nature explained.

I nodded and said, "Okay." I turned to go and Nature said, "Here, you might need this." She threw me black gloves and I stared to question her.

"It's especially made for you, so don't lose it," she said, "Oh, and Sakura, good luck." Nature dissolved into the tree. I smiled and gave a quick bow.

After putting on the black gloves, I felt even more confident. "Yosh, time to go kick your butt, Stranger!" I said, prepping myself up. The wind howled.

I opened a portal and entered.

As soon as I entered, I landed on my butt sitting on the ground. _I really need to work on my landing skills. _

I looked right in front of me and saw that the outer layer of the Konoha barrier had been breached.

The outer layer of the barrier was perfectly fine except for the section right in front of me. I quickly got up and slid my way in.

Soon after I safely made it in, the outer layer barrier sealed shut and there was a sound of electricity. I saw sparks seal the section of the barrier where I had just entered a few seconds ago.

"Whew! That was a close one. I see what Nature meant by 'advanced'," I whispered.

I started to run in the little forest, hoping that I would get to the main barrier quick enough.

"Okay, I have a request wind. When we get to the main barrier, just go crazy. Go all out, but don't kill anyone; just make it so that the guy can't move, alright?" I compromised.

The wind blew a gentle gust of wind over my hand. "I'll take that as a yes," I figured.

"Hurry," the wind blew past my ear. I quickened my pace and soon came to a stop. I hid behind bush. I saw the man enter the Main Barrier and then the barrier quickly shut.

"Damn, what do I do now?" I whispered to myself. From inside the barrier I could already hear the wind blowing. _My only choice left is to portal travel. _

I stood up and closed my eyes and relaxed myself. Taking even breaths, I could hear the wind fighting while I was stuck out here. I opened my eyes.

I checked for chakra presences but the main barrier had completely blocked everything off. Right before I was going to summon the portal with my right hand hanging in the air, I remembered what the guy had said to me back in the other forest:

"_Oh, wait a minute… did your mom happen to have sex with so many guys that you came out with pink hair?"_

__Anger and resentment boiled within my veins. I was so pissed off. I couldn't think about anything until i was finished with the stranger. _NO ONE talks crap about my parents. When i get my hands on him..._

I summoned a portal and walked into the portal. I jumped out of the portal and from the corner of my eyes I saw that the Main Gate had been blown open but not damaged.

I locked my stare onto the guy until I saw that Naruto was crushing MY victim. _Damn you, Naruto! Stop getting in my way, you Baka!_

I quickly walked over to the two who were being crushed by the wind's current. I grabbed Naruto's jacket and tossed him off of the man.

The man looked at me and said, "How did you get here?"

I smirked at him and said, "I finally caught you. Now, we can have our so called 'friendly chat', right?" His eyes widened.

I pulled him close to me by his cloak and then said, "You're going to regret what you said."

And then I punched him.

_One…_

_Two…_

_Three..._

_Four…_

_Five…_

And then after the fifth punch, I lost count and kept punching him until I felt satisfied.

But with each punch, I felt like something was holding me back. Not me though. I punched him with what I felt, but I knew that I could go further. I knew that i could eventually beat him to death, but something was holding me back. It was like i couldn't access my full strength.

And then I finally looked at him and the wind stopped. The man was bruised up but not severely damaged.

I was standing over him and muttered, "Hmph! That's what you get you freaking bastard. Talking crap about my hair that's one thing but talking shit about my mother is a WHOLE different level."

He moaned and then I heard a lady ask, "Sakura? Is that you?"

I looked at the blonde lady and answered, "Yeah, it's me, Sakura… and you are…OH MY GOSH! Is that you Tsunade-Sama? It is you, isn't it?"

Tsunade-Sama walked over to me and asked, "You're actually here…in Konoha, but why?"

I replied, "Um, it's a long story… so how about we do something about that guy first and then talk later in private."

Tsunade looked at her team and they made their way to check out the guy's injuries.

Kakashi came back and said, "The intruder is unconscious. He has a few broken bones and some loose tooth, but overall he just has a lot of bruises. It looks like he won't be going anywhere else for now."

His gaze landed on me and I bowed to him and introduced myself.

"Kakashi, I'll leave that man to you. Take him to the jail cell first and then we'll go from there. Itatchi and Sasuke, go check in with the others and Naruto come with me and Sakura," Tsunade ordered.

I looked around curiously and felt Tsunade's stare. I turned to look at her.

"Um… Tsunade-Sama, is there any where I could wash my hands?"I asked.

My black gloves were dirtied with the man's blood.

"Of course, Sakura and Welcome to Konoha," Tsunade stated.

*STAY TUNED FOR ANOTHER CHAPTER OF…

"WELCOME TO THE ENHANCED WORLD"

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	17. Chapter 17

*Chapter 17: Settling Down

Please R&R - i can take criticism by the way :) Tell me what you like and don't like?

_Thoughts- Italics_

**Inner Speaking- Bold**

Sakura POV:

I looked at Kakashi-san who was putting hand cuffs on the man. How did he manage to find hand cuffs? I don't know. He led the man to the jail cell.

I turned my head back at Tsunade who asked, "Do you know that man, Sakura?" I shook my head, disgusted by the fact that she thought that I knew the stranger.

"No, of course not… Did you not just see me beat his ass?" I asked, with wide eyes hoping that she would believe me. Tsunade crossed her arms and said, "Fine, but try not to cuss too much." I nodded my head, obeying her.

You see, here's the thing, Tsunade-sama wouldn't give a crap if I cussed, but since it was my parents who made her promise them to not let me cuss too much, then I have to obey. Tsunade-sama was my teacher when I was still living in Konoha.

My parents believed that cussing shouldn't be a daily habit. For me, I don't think that I cuss that much; it's only when someone pushes me to my limits, then you would see me cussing.

Tsunade took a step, turned around and asked, "Are you coming?"

I replied, "Oh, yeah, I'm coming."

That's when I realized that Naruto was supposed to be coming with us. I turned around and saw that the place was deserted and that the main gate was closed. I ran up to Tsunade who shrugged at me.

"Where's Naruto?" I asked, staring at Tsunade. She hesitated to tell me. I looked at her and waved my hands by my sides. We kept walking in silence. Tsunade was in the front and I was behind her.

I sighed and said, "You know, I wished that I could understand what's going on. I came to Konoha seeking answers." Tsunade stopped, still staring forward. I continued to walk as if she never stopped.

I spotted water well and splashed my hands with the cool water. My gloves were clean and dry after taking it off to dry. I looked for my tan bag that should have been on my shoulder. _Crap, I must've left it at the Heiwa place. _

After realizing that I didn't have my tan bag, I stuffed my clean gloves into my pockets. Tsunade was sitting on the cement next to the well, staring at the sky probably thinking.

I stood on the other side of the well. I gave a little sigh and put my hands behind my back. I looked at the sky as the wind blew a gentle breeze. My long pink hair danced before my eyes just like the hems of my floral white dress.

I walked over to Tsunade and asked, "So, what do I do now?"

Tsunade snapped out of her thoughts and said, "Let's go to my office." I nodded with my hands still behind my back. She led the way and I was left trailing her. I would stop and gaze around for a few seconds.

When I was younger I would never leave my house. I was told to stay home and study and then go play. My parents would go out and then come back. I never saw Konoha like this. It looked like normal town with everyone sleeping.

I looked up and then I noticed the carvings. I held one hand to shield my eyes.

"Are those carvings of the Hokages?" I asked. Tsunade continued to walk and said, "Yeah, it is." I knew it was because I saw Tsunade's face.

But I remembered dad telling me that when you go into Konoha, you can see the big stone carvings of the previous Hokages. I smiled, thinking to myself. We entered the gates and then walked up the stairs. After walking through a long windy hall, we finally got to Tsunade's office.

Tsunade opened her big wooden doors. There was a wide window that showed the whole village; in front of the window was her wooden desk, stacked with papers and papers and papers. Her dark green chair was pushed in.

Tsunade sat in her dark green chair and spinned around to look out the window. I closed her doors and stood in the corner. _Why is she being so quiet? I'm never going to get answers if this is how everyone is going to be. _

Tsunade spun around in her chair and stared at me. I looked at her, eye to eye.

"Tsunade-sama, tell me what you've been thinking about. You never answered my question about Naruto," I simply stated. Tsunade put her hands together and then put her chin on top. I knew that pose; she was trying to phrase her answers.

_I guess I'll start then. _

I stood straighter and innocently said, "You know, I think Naruto doesn't really like me that much. He seemed uneasy about my being here." I looked at her bookshelf and walked over to get a good look at her books.

I looked at a book that was titled, '_Medical Ninja's 101 Guidebook'. _ I took the book out and looked at it.

From the corner of my eyes, I saw Tsunade stiffen. I looked at her and asked, "You know that right?"

Tsunade sighed and said, "I knew this was going to happen." She looked at me and pointed at the chair in front of the book shelf.

I took a seat after putting away the book. I asked, "So, tell me, why Naruto looks like he's mad at me?" _I never did anything to him._

Tsunade answered, "Sakura, don't take Naruto's actions to heart. He's just a little confused. If you get to know the _real_ him, he's a really good guy." I crossed my arms and nodded my head.

"So, you're saying I shouldn't take him seriously, Tsunade-sama?" I inquired. Tsunade sighed and replied, "Well, no, you should take him seriously, but don't take his comments or actions to heart. Like I said earlier, he's a little blinded right now."

I nodded and mumbled, "I guess." _Actually, I feel pretty confused right now. _

I was tired of talking so I asked, "Tsunade-sama, where am I staying?"

She looked at me and said, "Don't worry. I had an apartment booked for you."

I tilted my head in confusion. "You knew that I was coming?" I asked.

Tsunade laughed and clarified, "No, of course not, but I always had this feeling that you were bound to come back. Although after all these years of searching for you, I thought that you would have come back sooner." I looked at her with a blank expression.

I shrugged and said, "Oh. So where's the apartment?" _ I need some alone time right now. _

Tsunade quickly got up and led me to the apartments. On the way there, I saw a different apartment building. I was pretty sure I saw Naruto on his balcony, staring at the sky but when he spotted us, he scowled and walked into his room.

I tore my eyes away from the sight. I felt extremely unwelcomed here in Konoha. I mean I wasn't expecting a surprise party, but I was hoping to get some answers.

I stuffed my hands in my pockets and clutched my black gloves.

We walked past five or six other apartment buildings until we got to this tall building.

I looked at Tsunade who walked into the building. We walked up the spirally stairs in silence.

When we finally got to the top floor, which was the fifth floor, the stairs split into two; one side going to the left and the other side to the right. We took the right side and stopped in front of the door.

I looked at the apartment doors and asked, "There are four rooms?" There were four doors total; two on the left and right sides.

Tsunade shook her head and said, "There are only two rooms on the fifth floor. In fact, both rooms have two doors. That's why there are four doors total, you see?" I nodded, putting a finger on my chin.

I didn't really like the fact that there were two doors, but it's not like this was my property, so I couldn't close one door off even if I wanted to.

Tsunade pulled out a key and said, "Here's your key to the apartment." I looked at the silver key and held it in my hand.

I opened the door and turned to look at Tsunade. "Thank you," I said. Tsunade smiled and said, "No problem."

I was going to close the door when Tsunade said, "Sakura, I'm sorry that I couldn't answer your questions yet." I shook my head and said, "Nah, it's fine. I'm pretty sure I have plenty of time to get answers."

Tsunade smiled and bid me, "Goodnight, Sakura."

I closed the door and locked it. I turned around and saw that this door led to the kitchen/dining room. There was a white little table with two chairs in the center of the room. The countertop was marble and there was a window in front of the sink. There were two pantries. The kitchen wasn't too big or small. I liked this size; it was kind of comfortable here.

I walked out of the kitchen and entered the little hallway. I opened the light and creamy door. It was a bedroom. There was a queen sized bed in the corner of the bedroom. The blanket was a dark bluish color. The bed looked really comfortable and spacious. I could feel it calling out to me. I shook my head and looked away from the bed.

The walls were lightly painted. I couldn't tell what color the wall was. To the right of the bed was a window; it was about two to three feet away from the bed. There were violet curtains with dark flower designs that hid the clear window.

To the right of the window was a desk. The desk was positioned so you could see the window. There was a grey chair that had wheels; it reminded me of Tsunade's chair in her office.

There was a closet built in the wall. I would have never noticed it until I started to pat on the walls. The door of the closet really looked like a wall. The closet wasn't that small. I noticed that Tsunade had put some solid colored T-shirts in with two or three sweat pants.

"I am definitely going to have to go shopping," I said, sighing later.

I closed my bedroom door and looked across from the door. I saw that there was another creamy looking door.

"Eh, why did I just notice that right now?" I asked out loud.

I walked to the other door and opened it. It was the bathroom.

"Duh, I should have figured that this door would lead to the bathroom. What an idiot I am," I said, lightly slapping my cheeks.

I grabbed a towel out of the closet and took a shower.

After dressing in the baggy T-shirt with sweats, I laid on the big and spacious bed. I stared at the ceiling. It was dark in the room with no lights on.

" Déjà vu. This is like another hotel room except the fact that it's an apartment," I thought out loud.

I threw the blanket on and went to sleep.

**** **Stay Tuned for Another Chapter of...**

** "Welcome to the Enhanced World" **

**Please Review! **


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Are we waiting for someone?

*** I'm back with a new chapter! Thanks for waiting ***

Please R&R

_Thoughts- Italics_

**Inner Speaking- Bold**

Sakura POV: 

I woke up to the sound of birds chirping outside my window. I rubbed my sleepy eyes and walked into the bathroom to wash up.

When I exited out of the bathroom, I said, "Ah, crud, I don't have any extra pair of clothes." I wore my white floral dress. I looked all over the room for my red scarf.

"Oh, where did I put my sweater?" I mumbled, rubbing my arms. It was really cold in my room. I tore the blankets off my bed and searched for my jacket, which was underneath my pillows. I sighed in relief, hugging my sweater to my chest.

I found my scarf stuck between the wall and the bed. I shook my head and roamed my hair with my fingers. _My hair has no knots. Yay… I really need to go shopping though. _

I went into the kitchen and thankfully the pantries were stocked up with food. I ate a bowl of cereal and brushed my teeth. I know, I can't believe that they supplied me bathroom materials. _This isn't so bad after all?_

I locked my apartment door and started to walk down the spiral staircase. I breathed in the fresh and cold air. When I got out of the apartments, I looked at the sky. It was so pretty.

"Hmmm, it's probably 5 or 6 a.m. right now. There's no one out yet," I muttered quietly. I wouldn't want anyone gaping at my hair. I touched my smooth pink hair. _Gosh, I wished I had my cap with me. _

I stared at the sky for a few minutes. The sun was just rising up. The clouds were a light pink mixed with white. What a sight.

I looked away from the sky and felt the wind blow. I walked the way Tsunade had taken me to my apartment last night. I walked past Naruto's apartment building and didn't stop to look at the building at all.

It's weird. Every time I see him, I feel uneasy and full of questions. I made my way into the center of the village.

Definitely, no one was awake yet. "Man, when do these people wake up?" I wondered aloud.

I wandered past the Konoha Academy and the Ramen shop. When I passed the Ramen shop, I thought about the Old Man back in the Human World. I sighed and walked around.

I walked away from the center of the village and made my way to the Main Gates. I was here just last night. A cold breeze came over me and I stuffed my hands into the pockets of my sweater. My chin brushed against my scarf.

I ran my hand on the wooden Gate. It was smooth, kind of like the door to the cottage at the Heiwa's scared ground. I continued to walk until I got to a red bridge. I stopped at the bridge before walking on the bridge.

The water that flowed freely underneath the bridge was a clear crystal blue. I walked to the center of the red bridge. I put my hands on the bridge and stared at the water.

It was so clean and fresh. The wind blew from behind and my hair danced in front of my face. There was something about the water that was weird. It reminded me of something.

I felt my hands unconsciously snake up to my neck. I pulled out my crystal necklace and held it out.

"They're the same color," I stated. _That's odd. _ I quickly put my necklace away and walked away from the hypnotizing water. I walked into the nearby wood.

I felt the wind blow, shaking the leaves. I could feel the sun's rays shining through the cracks of the wood.

I could hear the sound of water colliding against rocks and the dirt. I walked faster so that I could see the water. Then, I started to run and held my arms out to brace me from the hanging branches and bushes.

I jumped over bushes and duck from slouching tree branches. The water sounded closer and I could hear my heart thumping in my chest. I don't know why I was so worked up just to see this loud water.

When I popped out off the wood, I saw a mini waterfall. The water that poured down from the waterfall smashed into the medium-sized pond that was just a few feet away from me.

The sun shined freely here. There weren't trees to disturb the sun. I looked around and there was no one here.

I took off my Converse and black socks. The grass was soft and smooth underneath my bare feet as I made my way to the pond. I pulled up my black leggings so that it went up to my mid- thigh. I sat on the edge of the grass letting my feet dangle in the water.

I sighed in relaxation. The water felt so good. I lay on my back and let the wind tangle my hair as the sun beamed down on my porcelain skin. I felt all my worries fade away.

A few minutes passed by. _Maybe I'll get some more sleep? That would be nice!_

I closed my eyes. I know it's not a good place to be sleeping but hey, it felt like the only normal thing to do.

I woke up after not being able to sleep due to someone yelling.

"Where could she be?" someone yelled; it sounded like a guy's voice.

"Hn," some other person replied.

"Now, now, Little Brother, that's not how you respond," someone said tauntingly.

I knew it was Naruto and his companions. I could hear Hinata trying to calm Naruto down. Ino was yelling at him to shut up and Shikamaru was complaining about how troublesome they were acting.

I lied back down on the grass.

"Oh, how I wish I had an iPod right now," I mumbled. I sat back up and looked at my shoes/socks that were sitting next to me.

I looked at the water, with my hands on my lap.

"What Hinata? You want to go swimming? Are you sure?" Naruto asked, in a teasing tone.

I could practically imagine Hinata blushing and embarrassed. She started to stutter.

"N-no, N-Naruto, I don't want to go swimming," she replied.

"Yeah, dummy, we have to find Sakura. Tsunade-sama is going to be mad if she finds out that we're not looking for her," Ino defended.

"Nah, don't worry. We won't get caught by her. What she doesn't know won't hurt her," Naruto said, "And besides, a group of friends are standing next to a waterfall. We could go swim for a little while and then go look for Sakura?"

They started to whisper among each other and then they all mumbled, "Well, alright then. We have been looking for a long time."

Naruto howled in excitement and yelled, "Woo-Hoo! Hinata, let's go swimming!"

Naruto jumped out of the woods and splashed into the water. I managed to toss my shoes out of the way or else it would have got wet like me.

Naruto was splashing around and didn't even notice that I had got up.

I saw the rest of his friends standing together, looking at me.

"Oi, aren't you guys going to swim?" Naruto asked, with his elbows propping him up.

They looked at Naruto and sighed. Hinata was red and flushed looking, probably at the sight of a shirtless Naruto.

"Dobe, I think we don't have to swim. Our mission is completed. We have found Haruno Sakura," Sasuke said. _Wow, I think he's progressed somewhat… when it comes to talking._

Naruto followed their gazes and looked at me. He quickly got his shirt on and shook his blonde hair as if he was modeling for some shampoo commercial.

Hinata inhaled deeply, trying not to faint. Naruto looked at me and said, "Why are you soaking wet, Sakura-Chan?"

_That's weird. Yesterday, he was all mad at me and now he's talking to me like we've been best friends. _

I was going to answer when Sasuke said, "Dobe, you splashed water onto her when you jumped into the pond."

I stared at Naruto and then started to dry my dress by squeezing the water out.

After a few minutes of drying myself in the sun, I introduced myself and so a chain of intros started.

Later, I sat in the sun with my jacket off drying in the sun along with my scarf.

I brought my knees to my chest and wrapped my arm around my legs. I could feel the sun drying my hair.

They were talking to each other while Naruto continued swim. I was sitting where I was earlier.

"S-sakura-chan, you should sit with us," Hinata invited.

I turned to look at her and answered, "No, it's okay. I need to dry myself. I'll just stay here in the sun for a few more minutes." She nodded and then went back to talking with the others.

I pushed back the urge to sneeze.

"I think I'm getting sick," I whispered, putting my chin on my knees. I stared at my dry shoes which I had just put on to keep my feet warm. I started to get on my black sweater.

And then I heard Itatchi-san yell, "Sakura, move!" They were all standing up with big eyes.

Everything happened so fast. They couldn't save me even if they ran to move me out of the way.

I turned around to see a big tree falling down. It was going to crush me if I didn't move.

"Move, Sakura-Chan, What are you doing?" Naruto yelled. I paid no attention to him.

My body felt so numb and cold. I managed to stand up. My knees were shaky. I inhaled the cold air.

_I can't die yet. Not now. I need to find my parents. _

I could hear them yelling at me to move.

The tree came smashing down. I held my arms out in front of me.

I opened my eyes and the tree had stopped in mid-air. It was just an inch from hitting my arm. I would've been crushed.

I saw the Wind holding the tree for me. I moved out of the way and the tree collapsed onto the spot where I was just at. I sat on my knees, staring at the tree.

Quickly, I got up and walked over to the fallen tree.

And then I heard an angry Tsunade yell, "Naruto, what is taking you so long!"

Naruto's eyes widened and he gulped.

Tsunade hopped onto the fallen tree. "Tsunade-sama, did you make this tree fall down?" Sasori asked.

Shizune popped out from the wood and said, "Tsunade-sama! I told you not to hit the trees. It doesn't matter if you're angry. You could hurt someone." Her pig snorted, agreeing.

Naruto took this chance to change the subject and said, "Yeah! Baa-Chan… you almost killed Sakura-Chan!"

Tsunade turned to look at me and asked, "Is he telling the truth?"

I nodded at her, stuffing my hands into my pockets. I pulled down my leggings and grabbed my still-wet-scarf.

Tsunade looked at me and then my scarf and then at the pond and asked, "Did you go swimming?"

I looked at Naruto and Tsunade said, "Naruto, were you swimming instead of looking for Sakura?"

The atmosphere was tense and I could feel the others tense up in fear of what their punishment would be for disobeying.

Before they could answer, I answered, "Tsunade-sama, they were looking for me the whole time. It's just that they didn't know that I was over here by the waterfall. And when they came to the waterfall, I didn't notice them. And Naruto popped next to me out of nowhere and I was really surprised. I pushed him and then we both fell into the pond."

Her eyes narrowed and she interrogated, "And, Sakura, what took you guys so long to come to my office?" She was suspicious.

I stayed calm the whole time. From the corner of my eyes, I could see the others starting to feel relieved.

"Well, Tsunade-sama, I know how you don't like the smell of wet clothes. And since I figured that you wouldn't want to talk to us like this (I gestured at my wet clothes), I told them that we should wait and dry up. Unless, Tsunade-sama, have you grown accustomed to the wet clothes smell while I was gone?" I countered.

Tsunade shook her head and wrinkled her nose. She defended, "No, I have definitely NOT given up the hatred of smelling wet clothes."

She turned to look at them and continued walking normally towards Naruto and the others.

And then, all of a sudden, she quickly turned around and asked, "And why are YOU the one telling me all of this, Sakura?"

I looked at her unfazed and replied, "Well, you see, I felt bad that they would get blamed for not finding me. So, I felt that I should take responsibility and clear up this misunderstanding. In fact, I was getting to know some of them."

Tsunade looked at me and nodded, buying into my cover up.

I sighed on the inside. I mean, yeah, I did feel kind of bad for lying to my teacher, but it was for a good cause. Besides, some of what i said wasn't false.

Anyways, I wouldn't want a group of angry ninjas after me when I already have a lot trailing after me.

We silently followed her back to her office and by the time we got there, I was perfectly dry.

Shizune opened the doors to the office and we all filed in.

Tsunade walked to her chair and sat down, staring at me. Her stare was serious and her brown eyes were solid. She laced her fingers together and put her chin on top of her hands.

Naruto and his friends separated in two lines.

At the front of the closest line to me were Naruto, Sasuke, Neji, Shikamaru, TenTen, Ino, and Hinata.

The second line closest to the wall was Itatchi-san, Sasori, Deidara and Yahiko.

I was standing in the center of the room in front of Tsunade. Shizune was standing on the left side of Tsunade with the pig sitting on the floor.

Having Tsunade stare at me like that was penetrating but I was used to it. Everyone else was being quiet. Naruto gulped. Hinata's fingers were shaking behind her back. Ino was staring at Tsunade and me, back and forth.

"Sakura, where did you go this morning," she demanded, in her serious tone.

I looked at her and answered, "I woke up when the sun was rising and walked around the village. And then, I wandered around the woods and ended up at the waterfall."

Tsunade sighed and replied, "Sakura, you do know that there are ninjas looking for you?"

I nodded, but didn't answer.

Tsunade looked at me with her serious eyes and said, "Look, I know that you know this but I need you to cooperate with me."

I looked at her with a confused look. I asked, "What do you mean? I am cooperating with you."

She shook her head and demanded, "I want answers. I don't want you nodding your head or shaking your head."

I looked at her with my emerald eyes. It was kind of like a staring contest until Naruto asked, "Uh, Baa-Chan, do you want us to leave now that the mission is complete?"

Tsunade looked away from me and back at Naruto, who flinched from her stare.

"No, I'm going to be assigning you all new missions pretty soon. And there's a reason why you are here," Tsunade informed, turning to look at me.

I crossed my arms and said, "Are we waiting for someone?" The door behind me opened and a group of people came in.

I didn't turn to look at them and continued to stare out the window.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Naruto and his friends muttering, "What are my parents doing here?" _What are parents doing here?_

I heard the door click closed. I continued to look at the window. Tsunade faked a cough to get my attention.

"Now that everybody is here. I will start the introductions," Tsunade said.

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	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Sasuke's my… WHAT!

Please R&R :)

_Thoughts- Italics_

**Inner Speaking- Bold**

**DISCLAIMER: NARUTO DOES NOT BELONG TO ME! **

Sakura POV:

So here I am in the Hokage's office with a bunch a teenage ninjas and ninja parents.

It's kind of odd isn't it… with the teen ninjas on my left and the ninja parents on my right.

"Now that everybody is here. I will start the introductions," Tsunade said.

I looked at Tsunade with a confused look. _What is going on?_

I turned to look at the group of parents who were busy talking to each other about me.

I looked back at Tsunade as if to question her why they were talking about me. Tsunade held a finger up and said, "AHEM, now if you could all settle down and let me start the business."

I relaxed a bit, feeling better now that they weren't talking about me while I was standing in front of them.

Tsunade said, "As you all know, this is Haruno Sakura. She has come from the Human World to Konoha. In a few minutes, she will be talking. So please, hold your questions. But what I really wanted to talk about was the fact that there are many ninjas who would like to get a hold of her." She stopped to survey the room, looking at everyone.

I was staring at her desk, with my hands by my sides. Tsunade continued to talk. I just zoned out of the conversation until Tsunade called me.

I looked at Tsunade and said, "Yes." She told me to introduce myself.

"Okay, well, Hi, I'm Haruno Sakura and like Tsunade-sama said earlier I came from the Human World," I finished shortly.

A lady with red hair stepped out and said, "Welcome to Konoha, I'm Uzumaki Kushina. I'm Naruto's mom." And then a whole chain of intros triggered.

The Uchiha brothers' parents: Fugaku Uchiha (Father) and Mikito Uchiha (mother)

I met the Hyuga head and Ino's parents along with Shikamaru's parents.

After the long introductions, they finally settled down.

I looked at Naruto and the others who were bewildered about what was going on. I shrugged and looked at Tsunade.

Tsunade sat down and said, "Sakura, you may be wandering why their parents are here. I think it would be better if you heard it from them yourself." I turned to look at the parents.

Kushina said, "Sakura, when you're parents had fled to Konoha. Konoha was in a time of distress and chaos too. Each of the clans were in their own turmoil and so were your parents but still your parents had lent us a helping hand." Her gaze fell on me and I nodded for her to go on.

She smiled and said, "And after they helped us out, they had to flee again. And you know what happened to your parent's families, those people somehow found out that your parents had escaped alive and were in Konoha. When your parents found that out, they took you and ran away, but we didn't know until later."

I felt all their stares on me. I looked at Tsunade and back at Kushina and asked, "So my parents helped you out? What does that have to do with me? Are you trying to say that you are indebted to my parents?"

The parents nodded their heads. _What is with being indebted? First, Nature is indebted to my parents and now this group of parents? _

"We made a promise to help your parents," Fugaku-san said. I stared at him. He was wearing a shirt that had the Uchiha crest on it. I stared at his shirt intently. It looked vaguely familiar. I thought I saw it somewhere when i was younger.

"And how do you know that I am Haruno Sakura? How do know if I'm not some phony baloney, huh?" I asked, crossing arm.

"Although, we never saw you before, you're parents talked about you a lot when they came to visit us. We are for sure that you are Haruno Sakura," Ino's mom replied. I stared at her and unfolded my arms.

"My parents visited you?" I asked, racking my brains for memories of when my parents would come back home from Konoha. I sighed and sat in a chair.

"So you're saying that since my parents are not here, then you are indebted to me?" I asked.

They nodded their heads. "We are sure that your parents would have wanted us to help you if they weren't here to help you." I looked away from them and out at the window.

I stood up from the chair and looked at the ground.

And then, I looked at them seriously and said, "Forgive me for being so selfish," I stopped to look at them. They had confused looks. "But, since you say that you are indebted to me, then I will use this promise to do what ever it takes to get my parents back."

Kushina smiled at me and Mikito squealed in happiness and hugged her husband.

The Yamanaka parents smiled at each other.

Shikamaru's dad came up to me and said, "You know, I thought that you were going to deny our promise."

I looked at him and muttered, "Yeah, actually I thought of that. I was so close to rejecting the offer." I kept my eyes on the ground.

He laughed and patted my head saying, "I know that this is going to be troublesome, but if ever need anything, you can come to us. Even if we didn't have this promise, we would still help you."

I looked at him and asked, "Why? … Why would you help me? I'm not even a real Konoha citizen."

"Because you are important to us," Kushina stated with confidence.

"And we protect what is important to us," Fugaku said, looking at his sons. _I was sure that he trying to hold back a smile._ Mikito held his hand and said, "We can't afford to lose you, too, since we lost your parents."

"We weren't there to help your parents out when they were in their own turmoil. It doesn't matter about fate or destiny. You can change it and that is what I've learned," Hinata's dad said, looking at Hinata and Neji.

I smiled to myself and Ino's mom came up to hold my hand.

"You are special and don't forget that. There are still people who resent your family," she informed. I stared at her blue eyes and nodded.

I looked at Shizune who was quickly wiping her tears away while hugging her pig to her chest.

Tsunade smiled at me and I gave her a small smile. The parents went to their children and they had their little 'family time'. I stood next to Tsunade's desk. I tore my eyes away from the warm-feeling sight and looked out the window.

I folded my hands behind my back, waiting for them to finish.

They were full of smiles and laughter and then the door smashed open.

I looked at the open doors and there were three old, like seriously old, people standing at the door.

The mood instantly was ruined and Tsunade had this pissed off look. I had never seen her so angry so fast.

"We heard that you found the lost Haruno daughter, Tsunade?" the old lady said.

"Yes, I have," Tsunade answered in a get-lost tone. I looked at Shizune who had stepped in front of me. I could see the three of them over Shizune's shoulder.

"That's her?" the man with bandages asked, pointing at me. I stared at him and he stared back at me.

"Of course, it's her," the other man said. The man with the bandages introduced himself as Danzo.

I stared at him and introduced myself.

They turned to leave and Danzo mumbled, "She better not be a danger to Konoha."

I looked at Shizune who looked at Tsunade who was currently labeling him with bad names.

I looked at Kushina who had a troubled look along with the Uchiha's who had a very, very troubled look.

Shikamaru and his dad were mumbling, "Oh, why does he have to make things so troublesome?"

The Hyuga head stated, "Danzo will be keeping an eye on Sakura, so we will have to tell her soon about the Uchiha's promise."

My eyes widened and I looked at Tsunade who looked at me and said, "Oh, no need to worry Sakura; it's not that bad." I gulped.

I looked back at the Uchihas and saw that Mikito's fingers were moving as if she was very nervous.

Naruto, who was standing next to Kushina, asked, "What? What is it? Teme, tell me!"

Sasuke looked at Naruto and said, "Hn, like I would know." I could tell he was caught off guard by this. Actually, all of us teen ninjas were caught off guard.

Fugaku looked at me and I stared back at him with confusion.

"So, um, what is the issue?" I asked. He looked at Tsunade and Tsunade said, "You might as well tell her now. We're all here so just tell her."

Fugaku took a few steps and said, "Sakura, we all made promises to your parents, but we didn't make the same promises. It was all different promises. Some of us made lighter promises where there wasn't so much that was asked in return. However, I made a promise that asked for something in return."

I release my breath and asked, "And just what exactly did you have to give to my parents?"

He turned and pointed at Sasuke. My eyes widened in suspicion.

"Uh, is this some sort of joke… because I'm really NOT enjoying it," I demanded, crossing my arms.

Tsunade pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed.

Fugaku looked at me and said, "This isn't some sort of marriage promise."

I sighed and muttered, "Oh, thank God, because I really wasn't in the mood to deal with him." From the corner of my eyes, I saw Sasuke react a tiny bit to what I said.

Naruto started laughing and pointed at Sasuke. "Teme, got rejected, hehehe," Naruto said.

"Shut it, Dobe," Sasuke said, sending me a glare. I shrugged, unfazed by his glare.

Fugaku looked at me, eye to eye, and said, "Sasuke is to be your guardian until you complete your journey."

I narrowed my eyes at Fugaku and asked, "My journey?"

"Yes, your parents said that once you've completed your journey then Sasuke is free of my promise," he confirmed.

I nodded my head and said, "Okay, I guess." _What type of a promise would compensate his own child? _

**~~~~~Time Skip~~~~~**

Sakura POV:

So, after the 'conversation' at the Hokage's office, Sasuke has been following me EVERYWHERE I go.

After Fugaku finished telling me that, I stopped the conversation, saying that I was feeling tired. Yes, I told the truth. I was tired of hearing these promises. It felt like I had more burdens piling up on more burdens.

Everyone left the Hokage's building and Sasuke stayed a few feet behind me.

Trust me, I tried to get him off of my trail so many times within the last few hours.

And when I think that I just lost him, there he is walking towards me.

So, here I am sitting underneath a tree with Sasuke on the other side of the tree.

I haven't talked to him at all. I sighed and peaked behind the tree.

He was wearing dark-colored jeans, a black T-shirt, and vans.

I thought he was sitting but the whole time he was just leaning on the tree with his arms crossed.

_How should I talk to him? Is he those types of guys who demand formal speaking? I am having some serious internal battles here!_

"So, um, Sasuke?" I asked, trying to see his reaction.

"What?" He looked down at me because I was sitting on the ground next to him.

"Where's your house?" I asked, looking up at his onyx eyes.

_Emerald meets Onyx! Woo-Hoo! NOT!_

He stared me down and i stared back at him impatiently.

"So are you gonna tell me where your house is?" I asked. He sighed and said, "Follow me."

_And off we go to Sasuke's House!_

**** **Stay Tuned for Another Chapter of...**

**"Welcome to the Enhanced World"**

**Please Review!**

**Give me your thoughts through reviews! -**


	20. Chapter 20

*Chapter 20: Bitter Feelings

Please R&R :)

* * *

_Thoughts- Italics_

**Inner Speaking- Bold**

**DISCLAIMER: NARUTO DOES NOT BELONG TO ME!**

* * *

SASUKE POV:

"So are you gonna tell me where your house is?" Sakura asked.

I sighed and said, "Follow me." _Why would she want to go to my house? What does she want? _

We walked out from the tree and walked through the empty streets. From the corner of my eyes, I could see her slow down and look at the run down houses.

"Sasuke, is this really the way to your house?" Sakura asked. I stopped walking and turned to look at her. I gave her my usual icy stare. She didn't look the least bothered by it.

_I am definitely going to find out the reason why she wants to go to my house. _

I walked towards her and she backed up, staring at me with suspicious eyes. _Girl instincts. _

She backed up until she got to the wall and was going to walk away, but I trapped her with my arms, pressing her against the wall. There was little space between us.

"What do you want, Sasuke?" she asked, her green orbs staring into my dark eyes.

"What do I want? I want to know why you want to go to my house. There's nothing there for you," I stated.

She looked at me, unafraid, and replied, "I need to ask your dad about his promise, duh. Why else would I bother going to your house."

I backed away from her and said, "You know, I don't live with my parents." She tilted her head to the side confused. Until she realized what I meant, she had a look of embarrassment.

She turned around to look at the wall and then she turned back around to look at me, clutching her red scarf that was hanging loosely around her neck.

She was making a face. I pinched the bridge of my nose. _Why did I have to be her guardian? Why not Itatchi? She's a complete idiot. _

"Um, I hope that I wasn't… you know… leading you on," Sakura said, staring at me with her green eyes.

I stared at her and said, "I never thought of it as that way. And it's not like I would be interested in you."

"Well, I was just being polite. Geez, so, anyways, are you going to take me to your parent's house?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips.

There was a slight breeze and I continued walking. I didn't hear her footsteps so I turned to look at her. "You coming?" I demanded.

She looked surprised and ran up to my side. We walked in silence for a few minutes.

"So, you were leading me the right way this whole time?" Sakura asked, staring straight ahead.

I looked at her from the side of my eyes and said, "What were you thinking?"

She shook her head, embarrassed and defended, "No, it's just that the streets were empty and the houses were abandoned." She pouted to herself, mad at herself, and looked away from me.

I fought the urge to smile at her pouting.

* * *

I led her around the paths and finally, we got to the Uchiha Main Gates. We stopped in front of the gate and I looked around for the guard.

I was going to knock on the wooden gate until it opened and Itatchi was standing in front of us.

"Welcome to the Uchiha Compound, Sakura-San," Itatchi said, smiling. We entered the gate and Itatchi locked the gate.

She looked at him for a second and said, "Just call me Sakura; calling me with the 'san' part makes me feel old." She mumbled at the end, looking at the homes.

"Itatchi, where's the guard? Isn't he supposed to be watching the gate?" I asked.

"Geez, little brother, will you calm down? Haven't you heard of the concept of a bathroom break?" Itatchi claimed, smirking at me. I glared back at him.

"Okay, okay, he went to go use the bathroom and I happened to be walking around and I swapped with him so he could go relive himself," Itatchi stated.

"So what are you doing here at the compound, Sakura?" he asked, looking at her.

She turned to look at my older brother and said, "Oh we were on our way to see your parents."

He smiled at me and said, "Of course, Sasuke can take you then." Sakura tilted her head and looked at us like we were crazy.

"Yeah, okay. Hurry up Sasuke," she demanded, walking ahead. I glared at Itatchi, who crossed his arms and smirked at me.

He walked up to me and tapped my forehead with his two fingers. I leaned back but he was still able to tap my forehead. He turned to walk off and said, "Sasuke, don't be too hard on her or yourself."

I stared at his retreating figure and looked at Sakura, who was continuing to walk by herself. _Man, what did I get myself into?_

* * *

I walked next to Sakura and asked, "Do you even know where you're going?"

She looked at me and continued to walk, looking at the road, and answered, "No, but I think that you should know where we're going."

She stopped out of nowhere and looked at the sky. The sun was setting and the clouds were an orange-pinkish color. I looked at the sky. "Are you done sight-seeing?" I asked, bored.

She turned to look at me, almost as if I had interrupted her daydreaming.

"Ugh, can't I even look at the sky?" she said, walking ahead.

"No, because somebody said that they wanted to go see my parents?" I retorted, walking faster.

She snorted and continued to trail behind me. _Seriously, why do I have to be her guardian?_

In a few minutes, we reached my parent's house. I opened the main door to the house.

It led into a long hallway with light coming in from outside. I stepped in and turned to look at Sakura, who looked like she was in another world. I waved my hand in front of her and she snapped out of whatever it was.

We took off our shoes and I led her to the main room.

"Mom, I'm home," I said, loudly. There was no one.

I led us to the dining room. I slid open the paper-wood door. Father was sitting on a cushion reading papers. He didn't even look at us.

My mom turned to look at us and dropped her spoon on the counter.

"Oh, Sasuke, my baby, what are you doing here?" mom said. She walked over to hug me and then pinch my cheeks.

"Mom, stop, I'm not a baby anymore, sheesh," I mumbled, pushing back her hands.

I heard Sakura giggle, holding her hands in front of her mouth. She was trying to stifle the giggles. I glared at her and she shrugged, "Hey, I couldn't help it."

"So what are you two doing here?" Mom asked.

I looked at Sakura who declared, "I came to see Fugaku-san and you." I stared away from the two women.

Mom smiled and replied, "Ah, okay, go take a seat over there. You came just in time! I'm making some tea." She wandered off into the kitchen and hummed to herself.

I found Sakura staring at me with intent eyes. I looked back at her but she walked off to go sit across from my father.

* * *

I sat next to her left side. Father put the newspaper down and folded it away, looking at Sakura. She greeted him and said, "I'd like to talk with you if possible, Fugaku-san."

He looked at her with his bland eyes and said, "I knew that you would come here soon."

Sakura replied, "Yeah, I know." Mom came carrying a tray full of cups of tea. She set it down and sat next to Father. She prepared his cup of tea and gave it to him.

"Take some," Mom ordered. I sighed and took the cup of tea, knowing that I'll never even take a sip from it. Sakura took her cup and set it in front of her. She left her hands around the tea cup.

"Sakura-san, what would you like to know?" Father asked.

"Calling me Sakura would be fine, but I would like to know what your promise was," Sakura said. I looked at her face. _Well, that was straight forward. _ _I think dad found the perfect person. He doesn't like people who beat around the bush._

Sakura looked determined. Her emerald eyes were solid. Her grip on the tea cup was tight; I could see her defined knuckles.

The door opened and we all turned to look at who it was, except for Father. Itatchi greeted us and said, "I'm sorry if I interrupted anything."

He was going to walk away when Father said, "Itatchi, come over here." Itatchi sat on the other side of Sakura, who looked at me with questioning eyes. I didn't bother to look at her but at Itatchi. _What is he doing here?_

Itatchi replied, "Yes, father, what do you need?"

Father looked at us and said, "Sakura, wanted to know about the promise that I made with her parents and I figured it would be best if my two sons were here."

Sakura had a calm face and continued to stay quiet. _What is she thinking about?_

She let go of her cup and put her hand in her laps with her palms up. The palms of her hand were a light red color. _Her hands…they're red from the tea cup. What an idiot that girl is. Why would she do that?_

Sakura stared at my father quietly.

Father turned to look at her and stated, "You all know that my compensation for my promise was Sasuke being your guardian." We nodded our heads.

Mom put her hand on father's arm.

Father continued to stare at Sakura and said, "Like we said earlier, each clan was in their own turmoil. You kids were probably infants when this was all happening. Itatchi was quite young at the time." Father paused; it looked like he was remembering the memory.

"Then, one day the Nine-Tails Fox was released and people, like the Elders, were starting to be suspicious of the Uchiha clan. This happened about seventeen or eighteen years ago. The fourth Hokage managed to seal the Fox within his own child, but the Fourth Hokage did not make it a live," Father informed.

I knew this already. That child was Naruto.

Sakura showed a flash of confusion for a second but asked, "Are the Elders those three old people from the Hokage's office?"

Mikito nodded and answered, "They have lived for a while; The Elders try to give the Hokage advices. They oversee the Hokage's choice, but the Hokage has the power to actually make the choice."

"Ah, I see," Sakura said, smiling to herself. Father had a look of confusion.

Sakura explained, "No, it's just that I can see why Tsunade-sama got so mad easily. She doesn't like taking advice from old people."

My parents nodded their head.

"So anyways, with the Fox released and then sealed. Danzo was suspicious of the Uchiha Clan and believed that we had our own motives. Not only was the Fox released, the village was destroyed, a lot of the Konoha ninjas had died and the Fourth Hokage was dead," Father explained.

"He figured that the only person who would have the stamina to summon the Fox would be an Uchiha," Father informed, staring at Itatchi.

* * *

Sakura looked at my brother and father for a brief second. The tension grew in the air. It was hard to breathe.

"So how do my parents fit in this picture?" Sakura asked, breaking the tension.

Father looked at her and said, "We knew that Danzo was planning something, but we just didn't know _what_ he was planning. And then your parents came along and I asked them for help. I made a promise with them. I asked them to prevent Danzo from harming the clan and in exchange, they wanted one of my sons to be your guardian when the time said that i would know when it was time. And now it is the time for me to finish my part of the promise."

I looked at Father. _Father had the choice to pick and he picked me? Why?_

"Why did you pick me, Father?" I asked, staring at him.

Father stared back and said, "Itatchi was already set and ready to go. I couldn't prevent him from growing even more. He had a reputation, but you were new and fresh. A child…you didn't have a reputation besides from being an Uchiha."

I could feel Sakura's stare on me. My hands morphed into fists on my lap. I stood abruptly and left the room.

_Why? Why does it always have to be him? Why Itatchi? Aren't I good enough?_

* * *

**** **Stay Tuned for Another Chapter of...**

**"Welcome to the Enhanced World"**

**Please Review!**


	21. Chapter 21

*Chapter 21: Missing Again?

* * *

* I want to hear your thoughts on this chapter!

Please R&R :)

_Thoughts- Italics_

**Bold- Inner**

******DISCLAIMER: NARUTO DOES NOT BELONG TO ME!**

* * *

Sakura POV:

Sasuke left the room angry. I looked back at his parents.

_Should I go after him? _I bit the bottom of my lips, thinking. _I need to find out more info though. _

I was going to get up when Itatchi put his hand on my shoulder, smiled, and said, "I'll go. You stay and finish your talk." I mumbled, "Thanks."

Would Sasuke be okay with seeing Itatchi? _Oh, man, what did I get myself into? All I wanted was just some answers! Not family drama! _

I turned to look at Fugaku-san.

"So why did you really pick Sasuke?" I demanded.

Fugaku looked at me and said, "What do you mean?" Mikito smiled at me.

I shrugged at him and replied, "I know that there's another reason behind that, but it's okay, I don't need to know. Now, I'm not trying to butt into this family issue, but I feel that you should tell Sasuke himself the actual reason."

He looked away and I stared at the tea in the cup.

* * *

"Oh and by the way, how does this guardian thing work?" I asked, crossing my arms.

Mikito smiled at me and said, "Well as your guardian, Sasuke is supposed to be with you every single minute." My eyes widened.

"NO. WAY. No, that's a big no. Wait, so, Sasuke is coming home with me?" I asked incredulously.

Mikito closed her eyes and smiled a small sad smile. "My baby boy is growing up," she said, wiping away her not-so-visible tears.

I put my face on the table and muttered, "Why. Why. Why. Why."

* * *

After complaining to myself, I excused myself and bid a goodnight to Sasuke's parents. Fugaku stayed silent throughout the whole time.

Mikito escorted me out to the door. "You know, sakura, I always knew that Sasuke was a strong boy. And he can be such a gentleman at times. Ah, my sweet child. Anyways, I hope that you'll take good care of him."

I turned around to look at her and asked, "What are you trying to say, Mikito-san?"

She laughed with joy and explained, "Sakura, call me Mikito. What I'm saying is that you and Sasuke would make a perfect match together." My eyes widened.

"EHHH! Uh, no thank you, but I'm not really into him that way," I defended, waving my hands.

_There is no way I would like that…chicken-butt haired dude. _

I opened the main door to leave and found Sasuke sitting there, staring at the night sky. He turned around to look at me.

I forgot that Mikito was standing behind me and she whispered, "Tomatoes."

I jumped and turned to look at her with a questioning look. She pointed at Sasuke.

"Oh, okay, thanks?" I mumbled. _H__e likes tomatoes? _

* * *

She turned to Sasuke, who was now standing, and wailed, "Ah, my little baby! You've finally grown up."

He stared at his mom with confusion and asked, "What are you talking about mom?"

She pointed at me and I shook my head, holding my hands in front of me. Sasuke turned to glare at me and asked, "What's going on, Sakura?"

I had turned the other way and he asked again in a dark tone, "Sakura, tell me now." I covered my eyes.

I said in one big breath, "You have to be with me 24/7?" I couldn't bring myself to tell him the truth. His reaction would be like mine... well, maybe not so dramatic.

I took my hands off from my eyes and saw that he was gone. I turned to look at Mikito and she smiled at me saying, "It's okay. He just needs some time. You should go after him."

I pouted to myself and nodded, stuffing my hands in my pocket. I waved goodbye to Mikito and made my way back to the Uchiha Main Gates.

* * *

On my way out of Sasuke's parent's place, Itatchi walked next to me. I turned to look at him and said, "Oh, hey… so what are you doing here?"

He smiled and said, "I came to escort you out of the Compound. It's not safe at night to be in a place full of ninjas." I nodded. It was very awkward.

"…Is Sasuke fine?" I asked, turning to look at Itatchi. We kept walking and Itatchi sighed.

"Sasuke…he has his own problems, but maybe you'll be able to help him get past those problems," Itatchi said, flashing a smile at me.

I shrugged and asked, "Why do you think that?" He looked at me and explained, "Because when he's with you, he seems at ease."

I stopped walking and asked, "Really? I didn't notice. I thought he was the same as ever even though I've just met him for a few hours." Itatchi shook his head and beckoned me to hurry up with his hand.

"No, he's starting to change, even if it's slowly happening. I think you're the solution to his personal issues," Itatchi said.

"Me a solution?" I questioned, "I feel like an object now."

He laughed and said, "No, you're someone to him. I know my brother. If he's comfortable around you then that means something." He turned to look at me and said, "We're here and take care of him."

I stopped to look at him and muttered, "Yeah, I'll make sure to put that on my mental check list."

He chuckled and closed the door.

* * *

I kept walking and stopped to look around.

"Ah, crud, I forgot… I don't really know my way around this part," I said in a low voice.

I kept walking and asked, "Sasuke, uh, are you here? Man, why do these abandoned houses have to look so similar to each other."

I started to walk faster. The wind howled and I looked at the moon as if on cue. The moon was full and shining brightly.

"Sasuke, are you there?" I whispered for the one millionth time. I heard footsteps behind me and turned around to look. There was no one there except for rodents scurrying around.

* * *

Quickly, I turned around and walked even faster.

"What is the matter with this place?" I mumbled. I heard more distinct footsteps and turned around to look.

I stopped walking and demanded, "Look, I know someone's here. You should stop hiding and show yourself." The wind blew and I felt goose bumps on my arms. I hunched my arms together.

"What is this?" I looked at the ground and saw a trail of footsteps. _Are these Sasuke's? No, it can't be. _

I turned away from the trail of footsteps and walked the other way. I heard the footsteps and continued to walk normally until I heard someone call my name, "Sa-ku-ra." _Don't look behind. Don't look behind. _

I broke out into a run and started turning corners and all those good stuff. NOT.

"Oh man, I am so gonna die," I muttered, while running. I was about to turn the corner when I noticed that the pathway led to a dead end.

"Aww, crap," I said, turning to run again. My legs were numb even though I was wearing leggings. My hands were shaking. My knees felt wobbly. Heck, I was starting to feel a little woozy too.

"No, no, body, you need to work with me. If you give out now, we are so going to die," I whispered to myself while sprinting down the paths of abandoned houses.

* * *

**GENERAL POV: **

Meanwhile, Sasuke was waiting by the Uchiha Compound's Main Gate. He was leaning against the brick wall with Itatchi standing next to him.

Out of nowhere a pig was heard snorting, the Uchiha brothers turned to stare at the pig.

"What's the pig doing here?" Sasuke asked with arms crossed. Then a group of footsteps was heard.

Tsunade was in the front along with Shizune, Naruto, Ino, Hinata, TenTen, Neji, Shikamaru, and of course their parents. The Uchiha Compound's Main Gate slammed open and out came Fugaku and Mikito.

Mikito closed the gate and asked, "What are you guys doing here?"

"Sasuke, where's Sakura?" Tsunade asked.

Sasuke looked at his parents and said, "She was talking to my parents. Why?"

"No, Sakura just left with you, Sasuke?" Mikito asked, confused.

Then, an Uchiha guarding the gate came out and said, "No, I just saw Itatchi escorting Sakura out to the gate." Itatchi shook his head.

"What's going on?" Shizune asked, holding the pig.

Shikamaru's dad stepped up and said, "It looks like we have an intruder. Okay, so none of us know where Sakura is. That means that the intruder has her. We need to hurry up and find her."

"Here's the mission. Find Sakura and bring her back ALIVE," Tsunade ordered, worrying with her arms crossed.

"It's best if we go in teams; no one goes solo. We don't know who we're dealing with," Shikamaru said, stepping out.

"Then, let's hurry! Let's go save Sakura-Chan!" Naruto yelled, with fists up.

**An ear-piercing scream was heard. They all looked at each other and in a flash they were off to find Sakura again.**

* * *

****** Stay Tuned for Another Chapter of...**

**"Welcome to the Enhanced World"**

**Please Review!**


	22. Chapter 22

*Chapter 22: The Consequences of Pestering your Guardian!

* * *

Please R&R :)

_Thoughts- Italics_

**Bold- Inner**

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: NARUTO DOES NOT BELONG TO ME!**

* * *

Sakura POV:

I hid behind a big stack of boxes. My hands were on my knees as I tried to calm my breaths.

I heard the footsteps come closer. Time felt slow. The moon looked like it would never move.

I held my breath. I looked at the boxes.

"Sa-ku-ra, where did you go? Ne, I'm getting tired of playing this game," the man said.

_I need to open a portal. I don't know what this is. An illusion or whatever, but I need to get out of here fast. _

I held my hand on the wall and tried to use my chakra to open a portal.

_Why isn't it working? What's going on? _** Don't panic. I think something's sealed off your chakra. **

_Well, do you know what it is, because I need some help? _**You're going to have to make a run. **

I got up and ran the opposite way from him. "Damn, I don't have my gloves," I muttered.

As I turned the corner, he popped out and taunted, "Sakura, there you are."

I punched him in the face. POOF! It was a clone. I continued to run.

* * *

There was no wind was nothing, except for abandoned houses. No nature.

"You're at a disadvantage," he said, walking way, way behind me.

It was like no matter how fast I ran I could never escape him.

I closed my eyes while running. There was no wind. There was only wind when I ran.

_Nature could you lend me some help. For some reason, my chakra isn't working and I NEED that to summon a portal. Please, help me. _

I snapped my eyes open and whispered, "That's it! There's only wind when I run fast. I need to run faster."

_Hey Inner, never mind, I got a plan. _**OK, I got the plan.**

I ran as fast as I could. There were gusts of wind created as I ran. I could feel it.

I could feel my Chakra racing within me. I kept running. _Don't look back. Don't. _

The man said, "You can't escape from me."  
I smirked in the dark. _Well, I just did. Think again, loser!_

I looked up ahead; there was a concrete wall up ahead of me. _I'm going to create a portal there._

* * *

**GENERAL POV:**

The group of Konoha ninjas met back in front the Uchiha's Main Gate.

"Did anyone find her?" Tsunade said, out of breath. Actually, they all were panting.

"I can feel her Chakra presence; it's just really faint and not that strong," Ino's mom said.

The trees shook and the leaves danced. The wind gently blew and the birds stopped chirping.

"It's happening again," Sasuke said. Everyone turned to look at him.

He turned to look at the others and said, "This is what happened when Sakura first came."

"Teme's right! This is what exactly happened last time," Naruto yelled.

"She's summoned a portal," Tsunade said, thinking of what Sakura's mother told her when they were talking once.

"When Sakura summons a portal, Nature reacts to it," Tsunade said, turning in the direction of the trees.

Sasuke looked around, expecting a portal to show up. He looked at his older brother.

Itatchi was looking at the ground. Sasuke looked at the ground and said, "Itatchi, do you see what I see?" The little rocks on the ground were moving.

And then a big portal appeared just a few feet away from them. Sakura jumped out of the portal.

* * *

**SAKURA POV:**

I summoned a portal on the wall and jumped in. I could hear the man screaming in frustration.

I jumped out of the portal and landed on the ground.

"Sakura, are you okay!" Tsunade yelled. They were running towards me.

I heard the man's voice say, "No, Sakura, you're coming with me."

I have to admit it… I was surprised to see him in the portal.

I was going to turn to look at him, but he grabbed my right arm. He was trying to pull me back into the portal with him.

"NO! Sasuke! Help me!" I yelled. Half of my body was in the portal. It was like Tug-a-War.

I was pulling myself out of the portal. I was almost out of the portal, but he grabbed onto my Converse shoes. "Oh no, you don't! I'm not coming with you, you disgusting creep!" I scolded him.

I felt Sasuke take my left hand and pull me. I kicked the guy's wrist, hoping to loosen his grip.

And finally, one last kick did the trick.

The portal zapped close. The trees stopped shaking. And I knocked out tired with my body numb.

* * *

**GENERAL POV:**

Sasuke caught Sakura as she fell into his arms. Her head slightly touched his chest.

Tsunade quickly checked Sakura and informed, "She's fine, although, she's probably in shock."

Tsunade looked at the unconscious pink head and sighed in relief. Everyone else relaxed.

"Sasuke, carry her to the hospital. I'm going to do a proper checkup on her," Tsunade ordered, surprised that Sasuke complied with no argument.

Sasuke carried the sleeping pink-haired girl all the way to the hospital. Naruto and his other friends tagged along, walking quietly.

Itatchi smiled at his little brother and wondered aloud, "Who was that man?"

The group of parents and Itatchi trailed behind, talking to each other about who the man was.

After settling Sakura in and finishing the checkup, Tsunade said, "She's perfectly fine. No scratches, bruises, or fatal injuries."

* * *

**SAKURA POV:**

(Time SKIP)

My body felt so heavy, like gravity was unleashing it's full on force onto me.

I opened my eyes and the feeling of my body being heavy vanished. I sat up looking around the room.

"This isn't my room," I said, noticing that it was morning.

"Well, duh, you're in the hospital," Sasuke said, with his arms crossed.

He was sitting on a chair in the corner of the room.

I looked at myself and said, "But how come I'm not dressed in the hospital clothes?"

"Probably because we didn't have time to change you and you didn't suffer any injuries?" Sasuke suggested.

I nodded and asked, "So why am I here?"

He looked at me like I was crazy and said, "You really don't remember?" I tilted my head thinking.

"Oh, I visited your parents," I stated, pointing at him. "And," he prodded.

I thought again and I said, "And then you got mad and left and then, I left your parent's house."

"And," Sasuke prodded.

I looked at him with confusion and stated, "And your mom escorted me to the door and…OH, I remember now… you were sitting on the steps outside of the door and then I said something like 'you have to watch me 24/7' and then you got mad and left first. And then I left your parent's property and then Itatchi came and led me to the Main Gates of the Compound."

I finished and looked back at him, content that I remembered. Sasuke was making a face.

I looked at him and asked, "Is there something wrong?"

He looked at me and said, "We need to go to Tsunade."

* * *

I got off of the bed and quickly put on my converse.

I was going to make the bed but Sasuke got really impatient. He started to tap his foot and crossed his arms.

"Geez, Sasuke, you're acting like a complete baby. We have time. It's only morning. I need to make the bed first," I said, tying my shoes.

I got up to go make the bed, but Sasuke grabbed my wrist and was pulling me out the door. I pulled my hand from him and asked, "Dude, what is your problem? Relax, I'm just going to fix the bed and then, we can go to Tsunade, okay?"

He looked at me with a pissed face, "Look, Sakura, YOU are in danger and we need to figure out who is after you and why?"

"And Sasuke, you are completely overreacting about this. Just let me fix the bed," I said, turning away from him. I made the bed in a wink.

I turned around to look at him and said, "See, I told you I wouldn't take forever." I smirked at him and started to walk out.

Sasuke grabbed my arm and pulled me back into the hospital room.

I turned to look at him and his face was really close to mine. _ Um…this is really awkward. _

He put his arm around my hips and said, "And you know what, Sakura?"

I gulped and asked, "What?" _Better not try anything cuz I'll get you where it hurts._

"You wasted about one to two minutes fixing that bed when we could've been walking to Tsunade's place," he said, letting go of me. He looked at the wide open window.

"Oh, Boo-Hoo, Sasuke, you're wasting time arguing with me," I retorted, turning away from him.

"Yeah, I know, but I know how to steal back the time that I just wasted," Sasuke said in a serious tone.

He grabbed me by my waist and I said, "Oi, chicken-butt, what are you doing? You can't steal back time." He was already carrying me on his back, preparing to jump out the open window.

I gulped and suggested, "Sasuke, let's be civilized and walk instead of jumping from roof to roof like crazy gorillas, ne?"

"Too bad, I just did," Sasuke muttered as I squeezed my arms around his neck.

And roof to roof, we went. He jumped all over the place and I stared in awe as we landed on top of the Hokage's building.

* * *

"Get off, Sakura," he demanded. I let go and landed on my feet. I was staring at the face carvings of the previous Hokages when Sasuke pulled me by my hand, dragging me into the office.

Tsunade turned around in her chair, facing Sasuke and me, and asked Sasuke, "So you're telling me that the intruder was already in Konoha and managed to NOT get caught and pretended to be you and Itatchi?"

He nodded and replied, "Yes." Tsunade looked at me and I stared back at her tired.

_How many times have I been in this office already? _

"Your plan makes sense, Sasuke," the female Hokage stated, turning her chair around.

"Which is why you MUST stay with her at ALL times and next time, if this happens again then you won't get off so easy," Tsunade said turning around and popping her loud knuckles with an expression that implied Death.

* * *

We walked out of the office and I stared at Sasuke who was clearly pissed off.

"Ne, Sasuke, yesterday your mom said that you have stay at my place," I said, trying not to make him any madder.

He glared at me and snapped, "I know that."

I looked away from him, pissed off and a little sad… sad that he has to carry this burden of his parents.

"Oi, Pinky, where are you going?" Sasuke asked. I turned around and asked, "What did you just call me?"

"P.I.N.K.Y. PINKY, that's what I just called you, Pinky," Sasuke said.

_Oh you did not just mock my hair color! This chicken-butt haired dude! I can't believe that I have him as a guardian!_

"Sasuke Uchiha! You fool! Shut the hell up, you chicken-butt," I yelled, pointing at him.

He glared at me with hate in his eyes. I backed up, stuck my tongue at him and ran all the way to my apartment.

* * *

I closed the door to my apartment and turned around only to be trapped by Sasuke.

Again, he used his arms to cage me between him and the now-locked door.

"Uh, how did you get in here?" I asked. He held out his own copy of the key and smirked. _No wonder why there are two doors. I'll make sure to block off the other door then._

"So, anyways, Pinky, what did you call me?" Sasuke said, inching closer and closer to my face.

Boldness ran through my veins. I stood straight and said, "CHICKEN-BUTT HAIR…that's what I called you." He glared at me. _He's probably trying to imagine daggers flying at me. _

I faked a curious face and said, "…Is that Naruto? Oh, now, he's going to be telling everyone that you're a pervert." Sasuke took the bait and removed his arms to get a good look at the window.

I ran into my room full speed, forgetting to shut the door. I manage to take off my converse and hide under my blankets.

"You dumb idiot, Pinky!" Sasuke yelled.

* * *

There were no footsteps.

I got off the bed, clutching a big pillow to my chest. I tip-toed to the bedroom door and closed the door and locked it. _Now, you can't enter!_

I walked in front of my bed and muttered, "He, take that you stupid chicken-butt!"

"What are you talking about Pinky?" Sasuke said standing right in front of me, surprising me.

I jumped onto the bed, covering myself with the blanket and pillows.

"How did you get in here?" I asked, eyeing him. _He switched his clothes?_

He wore a black V-neck shirt with dark jeans.

"It's called teleportation," Sasuke clarified.

"What?" I asked. Sasuke shook his head and said, "Watch."

In a flash, he disappeared and then he was back on the bed. My jaw literally dropped.

"Wait, how did you do that? Teach me," I pleaded with him.

I crawled over to him and stared at him.

He looked at me weird and said, "You're acting like my fan girls."

"Ehh, you have fan girls?" I asked, tilting my head.

* * *

I kept pestering him and he slightly pushed me away from him.

I tumbled off the bed and somehow, I grabbed onto his shirt for support, which of course made him fall…on top of me.

I closed my eyes and opened them only to find that I was being violated.

_Okay, it was a pretty memorable situation though._

Sasuke is kissing me. Like right now. And then, I looked down to see his hands touching my breasts.

"AHHHHHH! YOU PERVERT!" Wait for it…. PUNCH! _ It's just my instincts. _

**Well, it's not like your hands aren't touching his chest either.**

* * *

****** Stay Tuned for Another Chapter of...**

**"Welcome to the Enhanced World"**

**Please Review!**


	23. Chapter 23

*Chapter 23: The Bad and Good Moments

* * *

Please R&R :)

_Thoughts- Italics_

**Bold- Inner**

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: NARUTO DOES NOT BELONG TO ME!**

* * *

**Sakura POV:**

I sat on my bed and sighed, looking at Sasuke. _He doesn't look THAT bad._

Sasuke was sitting at the far end of the bed from me, holding an ice pack to his face. He glared at me and I fought the urge to flinch.

I cleared my throat quietly and said, "Sasuke, I'm sorry…for punching you." My hands were intertwined.

_Hopefully, he'll forgive me. I mean, it's not like I meant to punch him that hard? _** Uh huh… yeah, sure.**

I stared at my hands and looked back at Sasuke. _Should I approach him? Ah, who knew that things would be like this? If only mom and dad didn't make such promises. _

"Look, Sasu-," I started to say, only to be cut off by him.

"-Don't even call my name," he warned, not looking at me. I twisted my fingers and stared at my hands like I've been doing for the past hours. _Okay, things are not looking pretty. _

Prepping myself silently, I stood up and said, "Okay, then, I'll just be going to the kitchen to get more ice." I walked out of the awkward-tense room, feeling a lot more relaxed.

I could feel Sasuke's glare digging into my back. I opened the freezer and sighed, putting a hand on my forehead.

"I really need to tame my monster strength," I whispered.

_It's not like I can't get a hold of my crazy muscles; I did all those training with Tsunade… I just slipped with Sasuke. My Anti-Pervert instincts kicked in at the wrong time?_

I shook my head, slapping my cheeks and put some more ice in the bag. Before going back into the room, I fixed my scarf and patted my dress, smoothing the wrinkles from the fall.

* * *

I walked in front of Sasuke and handed him the bag full of ice.

He glared at the bag and whacked it away from him. The bag smashed into the wall and the ice within the bag shattered into pieces. I stared at the wall where the bag of ice had just hit.

_I'm surprised there's no damage on the wall. _

I took several steps back and stared at Sasuke, who was staring at the floor. ..probably calling me bad names.

_Well, it's only expected of him to call me those names. After all, I did give him a bruise. _

I picked the ice bag up and muttered, "Geez, someone has a temper problem." I turned to leave the room.

Sasuke stood up, glaring at me, and stated, "What did you say?"

He removed the ice pad, revealing a not so big bruise on the side of his cheek. His grip on the ice pack tightened.

I stopped at the door and repeated, "You have a temper issue." I stared at him, holding the ice pack as evidence.

He gave me an icy stare and said, "You're annoying. I don't know why my parents bothered to make a promise."

"So, I don't care if you find me annoying. After all that's what you think," I retorted.

"Not only are you annoying, Sakura. You're irritating and ignorant," Sasuke argued back.

"So what if I'm irritating, so are you. Do you think that I even want to be here with you?" I asked, fighting the urge to launch another punch at him.

"Hn, it doesn't matter. Even if I tried to get away from you, I'll always come back to being stuck with you as your dumb guardian. I don't know what your damn parents were thinking when they asked for a compensation," Sasuke claimed, smirking at me.

"What the Hell? It was YOUR parents who came asking for help, not mine, you idiot!" I yelled.

"Hn, you're getting mad just over that? How would you feel to have all of this SHIT thrown onto you? I wished that you never came to Konoha. My life- no, all of our lives- would have been the same. Our lives would've felt even more peaceful without your existence," Sasuke retorted, in a cold voice.

For some reason, hearing Sasuke say that made my heart even more hurt.

"What do you mean 'Our Lives'?" I asked, with my arms by my side.

"How could you not understand this? Truly, you are ignorant, Sakura. Did you ever think about our lives? How our lives would be impacted? Naruto, Neji, Shikamaru, everyone else who were involved with your meddling parents? Did you?" Sasuke informed in his icy cold voice.

He didn't give a damn about me. No one did.

I stared at the ground. _I'm not going to break down. Not in front of this stupid, cold-hearted bastard. _

I clenched my fists and glared at Sasuke.

"You know, Sasuke, you're right. Never once did I ever think about you guys. Why? It's because I'm that selfish. I never gave a damn about Konoha," I said icily.

Sasuke stood there unmoved, completely not fazed at all.

"You truly are annoying Sakura. You're selfish and ignorant," Sasuke repeated.

Without a word, I left the room and shut the door behind me.

* * *

As I walked down the dark hallway, I covered my mouth with my hand to keep me from crying.

_I am so stupid. To think that I'd fit in here. _

I sat in the kitchen, dazing out the window, with my knees pulled to my chest.

After hours of crying without a sound and not moving, I looked at the time. 6:00 p.m.

"Wow, I never knew I was this capable of being such a baby," I whispered, punching the side of my knees.

I stood up and stretched. "I wonder if Sasuke's still awake," I said, silently.

I made my way to the bedroom, opening the door a slight crack.

Sasuke was sleeping, with the ice pack in his hand. I opened the door and tip-toed towards him.

I stopped at the edge of the bed and stared at the sleeping Sasuke.

"Hmm, he seems nicer when he's sleeping," I mumbled, biting on my thumb nail. I shook my head.

_What am I doing? Ugh, I'm starting to feel like a pervert. _

I shook my head and took the ice pack and put it on the desk.

I turned to look at his face. He looked so peaceful. _Was his life more peaceful than now? _

"The bruise got smaller. I told you, putting ice on it would work," I said, smiling to myself.

"_You're annoying, Sakura," Sasuke stated in that cold voice of his. _

I shook my head. _ I can't believe that I let him__talk me__down like that. _

I looked at my hand and sighed. _He should be happy that his bruise will be gone when he wakes up. _

Gently putting my hands on his cheek, I healed the bruise. The greenish-blue chakra faded from my hands.

* * *

Standing up, I got up and left the apartment. Locking the door shut, I walked down the stair case.

Every step I took, I could hear Sasuke's words. His cold voice with no emotion.

_Annoying.__Selfish__. __Ignorant__. _

"_Our lives would've been the same if you never existed."_

I left the apartment building.

After what Sasuke said, I felt lifeless. How could a guy I never really knew make me fall this low? Sure, he's my guardian, but why is my heart aching so badly?

"How did I get this pitiful?" I said, staring at the dirt. _How did this happen? _

I wiped my tears and looked at the empty street. This street was always empty.

I felt a stare and looked up only to see Naruto staring at me.

_Did you ever think about our lives? How our lives would be impacted?_ Sasuke's words rang like a bell clear in my mind.

Quickly, I turned away from Naruto and continued to walk away. My hands turned into fists hiding in my pockets.

"Are their lives really messed up that bad?" I said to myself.

* * *

Hearing footsteps behind me and I turned to look around to see Naruto standing there.

_I thought it might've been the creepy dude from last time. _

I sighed in relief and said, "Hey."

Naruto looked at me and asked, "Do you want to walk with me?"

"Oh, okay, I guess?" I stated and half questioned.

He smiled and claimed, "Don't worry. I'm not going to bite you."

I smiled and walked with him.

"So, where were you going, Sakura-Chan?" Naruto asked, looking at me curiously.

"… I don't really know. I was just going to get fresh air, I guess," I answered, not looking at him.

We walked around for a while. And then, I went to go buy new clothes while Naruto waited outside the store.

I came out of the store wearing faded blue jeans and a white shirt with pink cherry blossom designs.

Naruto looked at me and asked, "Why are you carrying five bags?"

I turned to look at him and said, "Oh, I never got the chance to go get some clothes."

He nodded and we headed back to my apartment. I quietly put my stuff in the kitchen cabinets, hoping not to wake Sasuke.

I tip-toed out and locked the door. Naruto tilted his head in confusion. I held a finger up, telling him to wait and be quiet.

* * *

We walked down the stairs and I fiddled around with the zipper of my black sweater.

"So, Sakura, why were you crying earlier?" Naruto asked. I could feel his stare.

I kept looking at the stairs while we continued to descend them.

I looked at Naruto and said, "Oh… I was just… upset." Naruto crossed his arms and made a face.

"You're not telling me everything, Sakura," he simply stated. I looked away.

"Sasuke and I got into a little argument and then I just let him cool off, happy now?" I said.

Naruto nodded and added, "Yeah that makes sense why Sasuke isn't with you."

"He's sleeping currently," I mumbled, getting angry when I thought of Sasuke.

"You know, if you need to talk you can always talk to me or the other girls," Naruto suggested.

I shrugged and said, "I guess."

Naruto pouted and said, "Oi, don't be like Teme! He was such a loner during the Academy days; I'm glad that I managed to befriend that ice cube."

I looked at Naruto curious and said, "How did you befriend him?"

Naruto put a finger on his chin and said, "Hmm…Well, if you want to know from the beginning, it was when I kissed Teme."

"EH! You…kissed him and yet you're going out with Hinata?" I asked incredulously.

He looked at me with a dumb look and said, "It's not like I wanted to! Ahh, let's stop talking about it. You can ask Teme that yourself. Anyways, I started to pester him and then we got into this competition thing and then later on we kind of just realized that we had strong bonds with each other."

I nodded and muttered, "I guess that makes sense."

"Don't you have friends, Sakura?" Naruto asked as we exited the building.

"…No, not really now that I think about it," I answered, feeling way too put-on-the-spot.

* * *

"Let's go to the swings," I said, hoping to switch the subject. Naruto led the way, without asking me anything.

"Wow, this is nice," I praised, clapping my hands together.

I looked at Naruto who was laughing. I put my fist in the air, warning him to stop laughing at me.

He put a hand up, telling me to wait while he tried to calm down.

"What's so funny, Baka?" I asked. Naruto whined and said, "Oi, don't call me Baka."

"Hmph, that's what you get," I teased, walking to the swing set and sitting down.

Naruto sat on the other side and said, "No, it's just that you looked like a kid when you got all happy."

"What's the matter with being happy to swing?" I asked, defending myself and my favorite hobby.

Naruto shook his head and inquired, "You must really like swinging then?"

I looked at the sun-setting sky and said, "Yeah, I've grown to be accustomed to swinging a lot."

Naruto stared at me and said, "Is it a child hood thing?" I nodded, staring at the bark.

Swaying my feet, I started to swing, thinking about my child hood.

"Aren't you going to swing?" I asked, looking at Naruto as I went back and forth.

He shook his head and excused himself by saying, "I have a fear of heights."

I laughed and retorted, "Sure, you do. I thought you were going to be the next Hokage?" I raised my eyebrows at him.

He looked surprised and questioned, "You heard about it already?"

I nodded and said, "Yep, and you're scared of heights? What a lie."

"You caught me," he mumbled sheepishly.

* * *

I smiled while staring at the sky. It seemed so close and then it would feel far away from me as I went back and forth.

"So are you going to tell me about why you don't have friends?" Naruto asked as I slowed down.

I turned to look at him and said, "Well, currently and in the past I never had any friends."

"Do you want friends?" Naruto asked, staring at me.

I shrugged like it was nothing and said, "I don't know, I've never had friends to begin with. So, it's kind of weird for me to have friends, do you get what I'm saying?" I kicked the bark with my Converse shoes.

Naruto nodded and said, "I'm pretty sure that I can understand what you're saying. But if someone asked to be your friend then would you say yes?"

I gave him a questioning look and explained, "It depends on the person."

All of a sudden, Naruto jumped off the swing and landed about two feet from me.

I stopped swinging and sat staring at him.

Naruto held his hand out and asked, "If it depends on the person, then I guess I'll just have to go for it. I would like to be your friend, Sakura."

I stared at his hand and then at his face. He was starting to get nervous.

Taking his hand with a smile, I replied, "Sure, Naruto." He smiled and gave me a bone-squeezing hug.

* * *

After telling him to let go, he smiled sheepishly and said, "Yeah, I need to work on the hugs."

I shook my head and mumbled, "I feel sorry for Hinata when it comes to hugs." Naruto pouted and whined while I continued to walk away.

"I should get going before Sasuke gets pissed off," I said, turning to look at Naruto.

He smiled and said, "Yeah, I'll walk you back."

He walked beside me as we wove our way through the streets.

I looked at the moon and star-filled sky and said, "You know, I thought that you didn't like me at first."

I watched for Naruto's reaction. He looked at me with a sad look and explained, "Oh, I wasn't mad at you. You're a good person. It's just that I was having bad days and I was a little moody."

Sensing that he felt uncomfortable, I said, "It's fine. You have your reasons."

When we got to the apartment building, Naruto asked, "Tomorrow, can you meet me at my apartment building and of course, since Teme is your guardian, he'll have to be there."

I nodded and added, "Sure, no problem. Actually, I was going to talk to your mom, too."

Naruto smiled and asked, "Okay, then. Well, you should get going up those stairs before Teme comes hunting for you."

I laughed and ascended the stairs as Naruto turned to leave.

* * *

I entered my apartment and saw Tsunade standing there with Sasuke leaning on the kitchen countertop.

"Where were you Sakura?" Tsunade demanded.

"Oh, I went with Naruto to go buy some clothes," I answered, pointing to the kitchen cabinets.

Tsunade checked them and questioned, "And why wasn't Sasuke there with you?"

"Well, he was sleeping and I didn't want to wake him up. He was extremely tired and so I got Naruto to take me," I defended.

Tsunade thought for a minute and replied, "Okay, as long as you were with some trustworthy Konoha ninja. Next time, just wake the Uchiha kid up. It doesn't matter if he won't wake up. Smack him if you have to, Sakura."

I smirked at Sasuke and said, "Yes, Ma'am."

Tsunade left the apartment and walked down the stairs mumbling to herself about drinking sake after this.

* * *

I locked the door and grabbed my bags, which were sitting on the kitchen table, and made my way into the bedroom.

After putting away the clothes in the closet, I took a shower and came out dressed in black comfortable shorts and a baggy white T-shirt that went up to my mid-thighs, covering my shorts. My almost dry pink hair was still wet, making the back of my shirt a little see through.

I went out to the kitchen where Sasuke was. Sitting down, I drank my water nervously while staring at the patterns on the wooden table.

"So, did you eat already?" I asked, not wanting to him by his name because he told me not to.

He nodded and I sighed in relief. "Oh, good, because I already ate with Naruto," I mumbled.

I turned to leave and then Sasuke asked, "Did you really go out with Naruto?"

Without looking at him, I replied, "I didn't plan on it but in the end, I guess I did end up with Naruto."

Seriously, I didn't think that Naruto would tag along with me, but hey it was okay hanging out with Naruto.

I left to go into the bedroom. I climbed onto the bed and stared at the ceiling and closed my eyes.

I heard Sasuke walk into the room, so I turned to face the wall.

I flipped back at Sasuke and said, "Oh, that's right! Naruto said that he kissed you?"

I was lying on my stomach with a pillow to my chest, pointing at him.

"You really were with Naruto, weren't you?" Sasuke asked, sitting on the desk.

"Uh, well, duh. That's what I've been repeating to you for a while now?" I answered.

Sasuke looked away from me and I flipped back to facing the wall.

* * *

***** Stay Tuned for Another Chapter of….**

"**Welcome to the Enhanced World"**

* * *

*** **SPECIAL THANKS TO: **

**LadyMartel4000**** - Thanks for the info. I was kind of not sure if I spelt their names right…Again THANK YOU! **

**Dark shadow400 ****- Thank you for all your reviews!**

**Guests ****- Thank you for your reviews too! :D **

**Followers and those who favorite this story**** - Thank you!**

* * *

***Author's note:**

Well, summer's almost done and hopefully I will have the stamina to continue the story.

I plan to but I may stop here and there, so please be patient. But Definitely, I plan to finish this story!

Have an Awesome day, my fellow readers!


	24. Chapter 24

*Chapter 24: Kushina's Promise

* * *

Please R&R :)

_Thoughts- Italics_

**Bold- Inner**

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: NARUTO DOES NOT BELONG TO ME!**

* * *

**Sakura POV:**

_Mom and I were standing inside of our house in front of the door. They were leaving to go visit friends._

"_Sakura, stay here at the house, okay?" mom asked, smiling at me._

_I pouted and replied, "But, mom, I want to go with you and dad." Mom shook her head while smiling sadly. She pulled me in for a hug and said, "We have to go back to the village. We have some business to finish." _

_I pulled back to look at her and said, "But why can't I come? I always stay in the house. You and dad don't come back until the sun sets." I crossed my arms, throwing a tantrum. _

_Dad walked in to the hallway and picked me up playfully. _

"_Sakura, Grandma is coming to watch you. Meanwhile, you should learn how to do the jutsu that I just taught you, okay?" Dad compromised. I thought about it for a minute._

"_But, dad, I know how to do it," I whined, shaking my head in denial._

"_Please, Sakura, once you ace that technique then I'll be super proud of you and then I show you another one and we'll all celebrate with Grandma, too," Dad suggested, making a puppy-face at me._

_I looked away and then surrendered with my arms crossed. "…Fine," I mumbled, hiding my smile._

_I loved learning about ninjutsu and all those cool stuff. Mom and dad hugged me and kissed my forehead while turning to leave…again. _

_I fought my tears. Crying will show your weakness. It makes you look weak in the eyes of enemies. _

"_Sakura, don't let anyone in the house unless it's Grandma," Mom informed, smiling at me. _

"_I know," I whined at mom. They locked the door and I sat in the same corner that I always sat in when my parents left to go 'visit' friends. _

"_You shouldn't leave a child alone," I whispered, fighting back my loneliness. _

_I heard something crash in the garden. Quickly, I got up and walked into the backyard. _

_I slid the glass door open and looked around. The swing set was fine. _

_And then I saw it. I ran over to pick up the broken vase. _

"_This is mom's favorite vase," I said, picking up a white piece of glass that had broken off of the ancient vase._

_How could a vase break by itself? I thought. I heard a slithering sound and figured that it was coming from the vase. _

_I took a step back, holding the shard of glass in my palms. _

_The vase fell on its side, revealing a thick snake slithering around the now-broken vase. _

_I backed up even more as the snake prepared to lunge at me. _

_Someone stepped out of the trees and ordered, "Ssstay calm." _

_He stepped out into the sun and looked at the snake. I wondered if he was talking to me or the snake._

_The snake stopped and sat lying on the ground. I stared at the man._

_He wore the normal ninja attire. His skin looked unnaturally pale and his eyes did not look human. For some reason, his pupil's were like a snake's pupil, slit vertically. _

_In fact, he resembled more of a snake than a human._

"_Who are you?" I demanded. He smiled at me and then licked his lips with that gross tongue of his._

"_Orochimaru," he responded. I crossed my arms and demanded again, "What are you doing here?" _

_He smiled and said, "I just came to take a survey." _

_I raised my eyebrows and asked, "What do you mean?" _

"_I can make you stronger. I can take away your pain. Your sadness and loneliness," Orochimaru claimed._

"_I'm perfectly fine," I defended, glaring at the man. Did he think that I was weak?_

"_We'll see then," he retorted. He flicked his index finger and the snake flew at me._

_I didn't expect that to happen. The snake flew at me and I threw the shard of glass at its eye like a kunai._

_The snake fell down and writhed in pain as I stepped on it, smothering it into the ground. _

_I looked at the man with hate and he chuckled while saying, "Indeed, I've found the right body." _

"_Get out of here," I ordered, in a cold voice. He chuckled, while turning around. _

"_Orochimaru, what are you doing here?" Grandma demanded in her ancient voice. _

_I turned to look at her as I wiped my ninja sandals the grass. The snake was dead._

_Orochimaru turned around and said, "I was just leaving." _

_He smirked at me and stated, "I will see you later." He gave one last lick on his disgusting lips and disappeared._

_Grandma looked at me and asked, "Sakura, are you okay? Did he do anything fishy?" _

_I looked at her and said, "No, I'm alright." I told her about the snake, but that was it. _

_She burned the remains of the snake and my sandals, saying, "The snakes blood are on those sandals; it is best if you get rid of them, too." _

_I nodded and agreed, "That's fine. I don't want to wear that anymore." _

_That night I went to sleep and I could hear Grandma talking with my parents about Orochimaru being here. _

_They were discussing in a hushed whisper. I knew that they didn't want me to hear._

_As I fell asleep, I dreamt about a huge snake chasing after me._

"_I've come for you, Sakura," Orochimaru said. _

**- End of Dream-**

* * *

**(Still Sakura POV)**

I woke up from the dream, gasping for air.

"Crud, what was that?" I mumbled while sitting up. I looked around the dark room and saw Sasuke sitting in the corner.

I stumbled into the bathroom to wash my face. I looked into the mirror and saw a flash of Orochimaru.

I gasped and set the towel down and quickly walked out.

I walked past Sasuke without a word and sat on my bed, looking at the ground.

"What…" I started, putting my hands on my knees.

_Was it really a dream?_ I put a hand on the nape of my neck and sighed.

I walked out into the dark hallway, barely noticing that Sasuke was following me silently.

I sat in the wooden chair and dazed out the window without blinking.

I felt like I could sit like this forever.

"Oi, snap out of it," Sasuke said, sitting across from me. His eyes were soft for a second but then hardened. _Sigh._

I looked at his dark eyes, which kind of brought me back to reality.

"Oh, hehehe, sorry…I kind of lost track of time," I excused, putting a hand on the back of my neck.

Sasuke gave me a disbelieving look and I brushed it off.

"Oh, yeah, I'm going to Naruto today," I remembered, standing up.

Walking into the bathroom, I cleaned up and brushed my teeth. I switched into black jeans and a light brown T-shirt that said, 'Save the Trees.'

Exiting the bathroom, I put on my Converse and looked at Sasuke, who was sitting on the desk.

"So, did you sleep?" I asked, not calling his name.

He nodded and looked away. _ Fine, I see._

* * *

We left the apartment building and walked to Naruto's place in silence. Naruto was already waiting outside; he looked nervous because every second or so, he would look away.

We entered his apartment and I looked around.

"Wow, you have a lot of Ramen Cups, Naruto," I commented.

He smiled proudly and said, "Yep."

Sasuke shook his head and retorted, "That's about all you eat, Dobe."

"Shut up, Teme. At least, I'm not a tomato freak," Naruto argued back. Sasuke glared at him.

_So tomatoes really are his weak spots?_

I looked at the scattered empty Ramen cups and said, "I'm guessing you don't live with your parents?''

Naruto shook his head and lead us to his bedroom. Thank god, there weren't any Ramen cups in here.

"Anyways, what did you need?" I asked, looking at Naruto.

He picked up some scrolls and packed them away while saying, "Actually, I was going to take you to my parent's house so that you could talk to my mom and then I'll tell you what i need."

I nodded and muttered, "That would be very helpful actually."

* * *

Naruto got ready while Sasuke and I sat in his kitchen. I was thinking about my dream.

_I know it wasn't a dream. It did happen when I was younger._

**Well, except for the last part with the big snake chasing you. **

_Well, yeah, that was obviously a dream, but the rest did happen._

* * *

"Okay, let's go!" Naruto shouted, breaking my thoughts. We walked to Kushina's house.

Naruto and Sasuke were in front of me while I walked behind them, practically in my own world.

They were talking about something, but I couldn't really catch what they were talking about.

"We're here, Sakura-chan," Naruto stated, waving at the house.

It was a creamy white color.

Kushina opened the door and said, "Oh, Naruto, you came and Sasuke, too!"

They moved aside so that Kushina could see me and she said, "Oh, I'm sorry Sakura. I didn't see you. These guys were taking all the space. Come inside." She beckoned us with a wave.

We filed into her spacious living room. Naruto and Sasuke sat down while I went to the window, staring out into space.

Snapping out of my little world, I looked around to see a picture of Naruto and his parents.

There was Kushina and a blonde man. _He looks like Naruto. _**More like Naruto looks like him.**

I nodded to myself, ignoring the two guys' stares.

_So mom and dad made a promise with them? They look fairly happy in this picture even though Naruto was an infant. _

I set the picture down and looked at Kushina who had just entered, carrying a tray of cups.

I sat down in the single couch while Naruto and Sasuke sat next to each other. They sat to my right.

I noticed Kushina could tell that Sasuke and I weren't getting along. She shook her head and smiled at me and sat on another single couch to my left.

* * *

"So, Sakura, what did you need?" Kushina asked.

I looked at her and stated, "Actually, I'd like to ask Naruto that." I turned to look at Naruto.

Sasuke had a look in his eyes, wondering what I was talking about.

Naruto looked at me and back at his mom and said, "Well, Sakura-chan, I don't want to overwhelm you but I wanted to show you someone." I stared at him, puzzled.

"How about I answer your questions first? And then Naruto will show you the person, nee?" Kushina suggested.

Naruto and I nodded.

Kushina looked at me and I simply stated, "I want to know your promise with my parents and what your compensation was."

Kushina smiled and replied, "Ah, I see. You're a very straight foreword person. I like that about you."

Muttering a confused 'thank you', I asked, "So what did you ask my parents for help though?"

Kushina stared at the cups and back at me and answered, "I was the one who asked your parents for help."

I nodded, keeping a calm composure.

"About seventeen or eighteen years ago, the Nine-tails fox broke loose and wreaked havoc among the village. I had barely just given birth to Naruto a little while ago. My husband, the fourth Hokage, stopped the Fox and sealed him within my only child, Naruto," Kushina informed.

I nodded and saw Naruto frown a bit. He looked a little depressed.

_So that's what Fugaku meant. It's starting to make sense._

"The fourth Hokage died," I stated, looking at Kushina.

"Well, actually…" Kushina started, but looked at her hands. I sighed and looked at Naruto, who Sasuke was staring at.

Naruto was looking at me, determined.

"My dad is still a live," Naruto said. I felt my heart skip a beat.

"So, it's been a lie about the fourth Hokage being dead then?" I prompted.

Kushina shook her head and explained, "I used to be the vessel for the Nine Tails but then a masked man managed to release the Fox. By that time, I had already given birth to Naruto. Minato and I chased down the Nine-Tails and I managed to chain the Fox down. We were severely damage. I didn't think we'd survive. But Minato had performed a Forbidden Jutsu that called upon a demon that takes the user's soul in exchange for the user's purpose. Minato was going to exchange his life by having the Demon seal the Nine-Tails in Naruto."

* * *

"Okay, I am officially confused. If the Fourth Hokage summoned that thing then shouldn't he be dead?'' I inquired.

Kushina shook her head and replied, "That's where my promise with your parents comes in. Your parents came rushing to the battle sight where Minato and I were. I knew that I was going to die. After hearing about your parents, I had asked your parents to make a deal with me."

She stopped to look at me and said, "I was young and selfish." She smiled with a sad expression.

I took a sip of water from my cup and held it firmly in my palms.

"What do you mean, mom?" Naruto asked. Sasuke had a confused look as well.

I stayed quiet, staring at the water in the cup.

I set my cup on the edge of the table and asked, "So what did you ask my parents?"

She looked at me and said, "Forgive me, Sakura."

I stared at her confused and said, "Please continue."

She looked like she was staring off into space and explained, "As soon as I saw your parents, I knew that I had to make a deal with them. I asked your parents to stop the Demon from taking Minato's soul. I couldn't let go of him. I knew that I was going to die, but you're parents were thinking of the best. They immediately formed a plan and told me to not worry."

"And what was my parent's plan?" I prodded.

"Your mother healed me and it was like I had never fought the Nine Tails. I had no injuries. With the Nine-Tails chained, we rushed over to Minato. I cried and yelled at Minato to stop. I looked at your parents asking them to do something. You're parents didn't hesitate to help at all," Kushina said, wiping away a tear.

I looked at her and stared at the ground. My pink hair acted like a curtain and blocked their faces.

_What did my parents do? Why is she crying? Was it that heart breaking?_

I looked up at Kushina and asked, "What did they do?"

Somehow, from the bottom of my heart, I felt that I already knew what my parents did.

My heart was pounding in my chest.

Kushina stared at the table, too ashamed to look at me.

"My parents..," I started, unable to finish. I tore my eyes away from her and stared at my hands, remembering that day.

* * *

Someone knocked on the door and Naruto went to open the door.

Tsunade walked in with the other parents along with the Hinata them.

Kushina looked at me and said, "I'm so sorry, Sakura. Forgive me."

I looked at her, speechless.

Mikoto looked at me with a sad look while standing next to Fugaku.

Naruto sniffed and looked at me. I just sat there staring at the wooden coffee table.

"I'm sorry for prolonging the answer, Sakura," Kushina said, wiping her tears.

I looked at her nonchalantly with lifeless eyes. Ino was holding onto Shikamaru's arm. Hinata was holding hands with Naruto. TenTen looked at Neji who really absorbed into our conversation.

"Your parents had to make an exchange with the Demon in order to stop the Forbidden Jutsu's effect," Kushina said.

I looked at her and questioned, "And did my parents tell you about their exchange with the Demon?"

"Well, they didn't fully tell me but all they said was that they were fine and that Minato was going to be okay," Kushina stated.

I put a hand on my head and mumbled, "This isn't helping me. I need to know what my parents did with the Demon."

I sighed and repeated, "So, Minato-san is still alive?"

Tsunade nodded and said, "He's just in a coma state."

"A coma state?" I asked. They all nodded.

"After your parents prevented the Demon from taking Minato's soul, they said that Minato would be in a coma state until the right person came a long," Kushina informed.

I looked at them and said, "Don't tell me. You guys think that it's me?" They nodded.

"At first, we thought that it was Tsunade-sama, but she couldn't do anything to help," Shikamaru's dad said.

I turned to look away and said, "But I don't even know where to start? How am I supposed to help the Fourth Hokage?"

"It's okay, Sakura-chan! I believe in you!'' Naruto said, smiling at me.

I stood up and stared at the group of ninjas. I stared at Naruto and quickly turned away from him.

I could hear him make a pouting sound and sighed, crossing my arms.

"Fine, hurry up, and take me to go see the Fourth Hokage," I ordered, staring intently at Naruto.

He jumped in joy and said, "Yay!"

I hid a smile and everyone else laughed in joy.

From the corner of my eyes, I could see Sasuke look at me. I turned to look at him and he turned away from me.

_Sigh… No one deserves to lose their parents._

* * *

***** Stay Tuned for Another Chapter of….**

"**Welcome to the Enhanced World"**

* * *

**Did I spell Orochimaru's name right?**

'


	25. Chapter 25

*Chapter 25: A Fake Kiss

Please R&R :)

_Thoughts- Italics_

**Bold- Inner**

**DISCLAIMER: NARUTO DOES NOT BELONG TO ME!**

Sakura POV:

As I exited Kushina's house, Naruto grabbed my hand and yelled, "Oi, Teme, I'll be taking Sakura-Chan!"

I turned to look at Sasuke with a look, hoping that he'd get that I didn't want to go with Naruto by myself.

Sasuke looked away and Naruto laughed, saying, "See you later! Come on, Sakura-chan!"

He dragged me with him as I threw Sasuke one last look and turned to leave with Naruto.

"Um, Naruto, what about the others?" I asked, hoping to stall him.

He looked at me and said, "Oh, they'll catch up soon. But I need to talk with you, Sakura."

He let go of my hand and I wiped my hands on my jeans while continuing to walk with Naruto.

* * *

"Thanks, Sakura," Naruto said.

I shrugged, looking at the sky, and replied, "No problem."

I caught Naruto looking at me and asked, "Why are you staring at me?''

He quickly shook his head and stated, "No, it's just that…you know you're a really confusing and mysterious person." Turning to look, I gave him a suspicious look.

He explained, "It's just that at times you seem sad but then you'll be happy. It's kind of weird. Even though you just met us, you're still kind enough to help us."

I kept walking and put my hands behind my neck and said, "Well, let's just say that I'm not that selfish, Naruto, unlike someone." I mumbled at the end, stuffing my hands into my pockets.

Naruto sighed and claimed, "Let me guess, you and Sasuke haven't made up?"

I nodded my head.

"Can I ask what you guys argued about?" Naruto asked.

I turned to look at him, thinking and concluded, "Ask, Sasuke. He should be able to tell you but I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't want to tell you. Anyways, I'll find some way to talk it out with the ice cube."

Naruto smiled and said, "If you say so."

* * *

We arrived at the Hospital and a nurse led us to a 'special room.' It looked like a regular hospital room to me.

Before the nurse closed the door, Tsunade walked in and said, "I see, you guys are already here."

I nodded, looking at her with uncertainty. I looked at the ground and back at Naruto, who had his back to me.

"Naruto, I have to tell you something," I said. He turned to look at me, curiously.

"I'm not sure if I'll be able to help your dad right away but I think it's best if I get a feeling of what's going on, you know what I mean?" I asked Naruto.

He looked like he was going to cry and then he hugged me saying, "Sakura, you're the best!"

Tsunade pushed the curtains away, revealing Minato. He had the tubes connected to him.

"Wow, he looks the same just like the picture I was looking at earlier," I said, touching the curtains.

Naruto walked towards his dad and just stood there, staring at his dad.

I walked on the other side of the bed and stared across the bed, looking at Naruto.

He didn't seem to notice me. Naruto's blue eyes were liquid-looking. I knew that he was holding back tears.

The door opened and Kushina walked in with Sasuke and his parents trailing after her. I looked back at the unconscious man.

"Where are the others?" Naruto asked, staring at his mom.

Shaking her head, she responded, "They're waiting outside in the hallway. They just wanted to be respectful, Naruto." He nodded and looked at me.

"What?" I asked, knowing what he wanted me to do. I sighed and asked, "Um, okay, so just what do I do?" I felt really nervous. _After all, this is the first time I'm doing this._

Tsunade, who was standing next to me, put a hand on my shoulder and said, "Just do what your heart is telling you." I looked at her confused and turned around with my back facing them.

Putting my hand in the pocket of my jeans, I closed my eyes and clamed myself. I could feel my blood racing in my veins while my heart beated to its own rhythm.

I opened my eyes and stared at the sleeping blond man.

Opening my eyes, I put a hand on his forehead. I could feel heat radiating off of my hand.

My hand turned a light greenish-blue. _"Sakura, I'm proud of you," I heard my mom say._

Still leaving my hand on his head, I looked around for my mom.

I looked past the new but familiar faces, not seeing my mom. I turned to look at the sleeping man and pulled my hand off his head.

I stood there for a few moments expecting something to happen. Nothing happened.

* * *

"Sakura, are you okay?" Kushina asked, appearing next to Naruto.

I looked up at her and nodded my head and said, "Yeah, I'm fine."

I looked at Naruto and saw a flash of sadness and disappointment in his eyes. He quickly covered it up and smiled at me, saying, "That's okay, Sakura-Chan! You'll figure it out in no time, I believe in you!"

I gave him a weak smile, turning to look at Sasuke. I felt defeated. I felt helpless and weak.

The parents left together, leaving the three of us with Tsunade. I looked at my blond teacher, who stared at the retreating backs of the parents.

Tsunade looked at me and patted me on my back saying, "I know how you feel." I turned away from her, staring at the grounds.

Closing the curtains, Tsunade led us out of the room. I was buried in my own thoughts.

"Bye, Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled, as he left the Hospital. I stared at the back of his orange jacket.

Tsunade bid us goodbye and was dragged by Shizune to go finish some more paperwork.

I sighed and hugged my arms, forgetting that Sasuke was standing next to me.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted. Without looking at him, I said, "Ah, I forgot that you were here."

* * *

We walked away from the hospital and I stared off into space until something hit me.

Looking at Sasuke, I asked, "Oi, do you know where the library is?"

Sasuke looked at me and said, "Why?"

I shook my head and answered, "Just take me there already." He walked ahead of me, leading the way.

I set down the new pile of books on the table and sat down in the big chair, staring at Sasuke.

"Um, so why did we have to sit over here in the corner by ourselves?" I asked, opening a book.

"And why are we even at the library?" Sasuke asked, crossing his arms.

Tearing my eyes away from the flexing muscles on his arms, I replied, "As you can see, I am trying to figure something out." I held up a book as evidence.

I forced myself to read the book and somehow found myself really into it.

It was basically about the types of ninja techniques: Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, Taijutsu, and etc.

I looked up at Sasuke, who was staring off into space. _Hmph, serves you right._

Standing up to put the books back, someone bumped into me.

However, it wasn't my books that scattered on the floor. It was the other girl's book.

Setting my books down on the table, I heard the girl innocently say, "Oh my, I'm sorry. I accidently bumped into you." She waved her shiny red nails at me.

Picking up her pile of books in one hand, I looked at the girl.

She had red hair and was dressed in a black skirt with a shirt that barely covered her stomach.

I handed her the books and said, "Here's your books."

She touched her black framed glasses and apologized, "No, it was my bad. I bumped into you…"

She looked at me with curiosity and asked, "What's your name?"

I looked at her and said, "Sakura. Haruno Sakura."

She put a hand on her hips and a finger on her lips and said, "Oh! That makes sense!" She quickly moved my books aside and took her books from my hand, sitting in my spot. She mumbled, "Hey, Sasuke."

* * *

I bit the bottom of my lips and got my books, leaving Sasuke with the red-head.

I came back and saw her leaning across the table, saying, "Well, you see. I don't understand this." She pointed somewhere in the book with her polished red nails.

I shuddered and walked over to them.

She didn't look at me and said in a low-supposedly 'sexy'- voice, "I need some _help_ with _this _and _this._"

Every time she said 'this', I promise you she scooted closer and closer to Sasuke. Her boobs were practically out there for everyone to see at this moment.

I was officially grossed out. Her butt was sticking in the air as she tried to make her way to Sasuke.

Sasuke kept giving her a glare with no answers.

He looked at me and back at the red-head saying, "Cut it out, Karin." Immediately, she backed off, pouting at how close she was. _Ha, lady, you had a stack of books blocking your way!_

Sasuke glared at me and demanded, "You done, Sakura?" I almost flinched.

I nodded and Sasuke smirked at me, gracefully getting out of his chair and pushed it in.

He looked at me. I am serious I have never seen him look at me that way.

He took my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze and carelessly said, "See you later, Karin."

The red head was left gaping at us with a stack of books as her replacement for Sasuke.

As we walked out the back exit and into an isolated and dark hallway, I asked, "You idiot! What the hell was THAT?"

He smirked at me and said, "That was me thinking quick and getting us out of a mess that YOU created."

I stopped and said, "And how was this MY mess?" _I can feel it. He's going to get hit again. Sigh. _

"You wanted to come to the library. Now, look at what we got into, Sa-ku-ra?" he taunted, shaking his finger in a disapproving manner.

I looked away from him and said, "It's not like I knew. I thought you were kidding when you said that you had fan girls." I could practically imagine him smirking at me.

"Well, now you know that I wasn't lying," Sasuke said, walking away with his hands in his pockets.

"But who in the world would like you?" I asked, incredulously, emphasizing with my hands.

He turned to look at me and said, "Are you that dumb? Did you not see Karin back there?"

I nodded and he continued, "You haven't seen the rest. Just wait and see."

* * *

I shook my head at him and continued to walk off.

He grabbed my arm and pushed me to the wall, darkly stating, "And now, Karin is going to be out there along with all my other crazy fans hunting for you."

I stared at him intently as we stared each other down.

I sensed someone's chakra presence and Sasuke brought his face closer to mine.

"What the hell-" I said, but he cut me off, ordering, "Don't move, you annoying girl."

He put one hand on the wall and his other hand around my waist.

"What-" I said again, only to have Sasuke say, "Shut it." I clamped my mouth shut.

Sasuke shifted his face so that his lips were hovering above mine.

I glared at him and moved my right hand.

Sasuke took his hand that was propping him against the wall and tightly gripped my hand, pushing it back to the wall again. I glared at him and he smirked.

Sasuke shifted his head again, but his lips never touched mine and his eyes never left mine.

I heard something drop and looked to see Karin standing far away from us.

The open door let some light shine through and that's how I knew that Karin was furious.

"Sasuke… you kissed her," she stated dumbly. She picked up the book that she dropped and walked towards us.

"No-" I defended, but Sasuke being the jackass that he is cut me off explaining, "So what if I kissed her? I told you already Karin. I'm never in the mood to deal with you fan girls and your little crushes."

Karin glared at me and stalked off with the book in her hand. The door slammed closed.

Sasuke turned to look at me and before he could smirk, I punched him in the face again.

* * *

Walking out in broad daylight, I felt more exposed and vulnerable. I was even more cautious and on guard.

"You know you didn't have to punch me… a slap would've done better," Sasuke muttered, holding an ice pack to his face.

I furiously walked back to the apartment, shutting the door in his face.

I walked into the bedroom, locking the door and tried to sleep pissed off.

_Great, now I'm going to have ninjas and evil fan girls chasing after me._

_Damn you, Sasuke and your stupid Fake Kiss!_

* * *

**Stay Tuned for Another Chapter of...**

**"Welcome to the Enhanced World" **


	26. Chapter 26

*Chapter 26: Finally Getting Somewhere

* * *

Please R&R :)

_Thoughts- Italics_

**Bold- Inner**

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: NARUTO DOES NOT BELONG TO ME!**

* * *

Sasuke POV:

Sakura shut the door in my face, clearly pissed off with me.

Sensing her chakra heading towards the bedroom, I let her go cool off while I waited outside for a bit.

I walked inside the apartment after a few minutes and heard a muffled scream.

_What's going on?_

I ran into the bedroom and realized that Sakura was screaming into her pillow.

She was lying on her stomach with her hands underneath her pillow.

I sighed and walked over, slipping the pillow away from her face and hands.

She grabbed another pillow and I grabbed the pillow until I confiscated all the pillows.

She sat up and glared at me and then screamed back into the mattress.

_Am I going to have to take the mattress too?_

Setting the pillows on the desk, I asked, "Are you trying to commit suicide?"

Sakura sat up with the blanket covering her body and said, "No, if I wanted to die then I would've killed myself already. I have eleven years to commit suicide before coming here."

"Well, as you should know, you aren't allowed to kill yourself because then I would be in deep trouble," I warned.

She mumbled, "Blah, blah, blah. I know, dummy."

I sat in the chair and questioned, "So, why were you screaming in the pillows?"

Sakura lay back on the bed and replied, "To release my anger, duh. How else am I supposed to release my anger unless you're willing to be my punching bag?"

"Well, you could go hit some boulders?" I suggested.

"Ha, ha, very funny," she retorted, turning away from me.

I t was an awkward silence.

* * *

**SAKURA POV: **

I faced the wall and tried to fall asleep.

Frustrated, I sighed and sat up looking at Sasuke. _"Did you guys make up yet?" Naruto asked. _

Letting my feet drop onto the floor, I looked at Sasuke and said, "We need to talk."

Sasuke looked at me and asked, "About what?"

"About… are you still angry at me for punching you the other day?" I asked.

"Well, not anymore, but thinking about it makes me pissed off again," Sasuke said.

"Okay, then, let's stop talking about it then. So, are your fan girls really after me?" I inquired.

Sasuke gave me a dumb look and stated, "Probably, since Karin is kind of like the leader of my fan club."

I sighed and ran my fingers through my long pink hair.

"We need to get some curtains for the kitchen window," I added. Sasuke nodded in agreement.

"So, now what are you going to do?" Sasuke asked, clearly amused with my new profound issues.

"I'm just going to go with the flow," I said. "Like what?" he asked.

"Look, I'm not going to let anyone stomp all over me. If it's the worst case, then I will have to deal with your fan girls," I answered with simplicity.

Sasuke sighed and said, "That's what this other girl said and she ended up with a bad outcome."

I narrowed my eyes at him and asked, "'Bad outcome?'"

"A few years ago, she left the village while Konoha was damaged from a missing ninja's attack. Konoha was still recovering from the attack and she left because Karin found out that the girl had asked me something," Sasuke stared at the thick curtains, remembering what happened.

"And so…" I prodded.

"And so I answered her back," Sasuke said, looking at me.

"Okay… so you answered her back. That's what you should do, right?" I asked.

He laughed bitterly and said, "No, I never talked to fan girls. Never did, but I answered her question and then Karin found out. Hell broke loose and then that girl left."

The atmosphere tightened in awkwardness. _Maybe Sasuke liked her?_

* * *

Sasuke got up, tossing the pillows at me.

I set them back on the bed and covered the bed with the sheets asking, "Where we going?"

Sasuke looked at me over his shoulder and said, "I'm going to hang out with Naruto and you are coming with me."

We headed towards Naruto's apartment and again I felt even more vulnerable.

_But what happened to the girl? _ I sighed as Sasuke knocked on Naruto's apartment.

"He's probably with Hinata," Sasuke muttered, making us walk back down the stairs.

We went to Hinata's place.

Sasuke knocked on the Hyuga's big gate and Neji opened it saying, "Hello Sasuke and Sakura."

"Hi," I greeted as Sasuke dragged me in by pulling my wrist. Neji shut the door and stayed behind us.

"Uh, Sasuke, aren't we looking for Naruto?" I asked.

Sasuke looked at me with a bored look and said, "No, I am looking for Naruto and you are going to stay with Hinata and the other girls, got that?" He let go of my wrist and looked at Neji.

Neji sighed at Sasuke and said, "Sakura-san, you're coming with me. I'll take you to Ino and TenTen. Currently, Hinata is with Naruto." I nodded and walked next to him as Sasuke walked the opposite way from us.

Neji and I walked past many small buildings and storage rooms.

"So, how do you like it in Konoha?" Neji asked, trying to start a conversation.

"It's nice, I guess," I said, looking around the place.

"Weren't you born in Konoha?" Neji asked, looking at me. I nodded at him.

"Yeah, I was born in Konoha, but somewhere on the outskirts of Konoha," I stated.

He looked surprised and said, "Ah, I see." He stopped and slid the paper-wood door open.

"Neji, what are you doing here?" TenTen said, holding a handful of cards.

I stepped out so that they could see me and Ino lighted up like a kid during Christmas.

"Got it, we'll take care of Sakura," Ino said with a smile, clapping her hands together.

"Thanks," Neji said, turning to look at me and continued, "You can go in, Sakura-san."

"Calling me Sakura is fine," I said. Neji nodded and shut the door.

* * *

"Sit over here with me!" Ino said, patting the cushion next to her. I sat down next to her, looking around.

The room was fairly big. It was a bed room.

I caught the two of them looking at me and I asked, "So this is where you guys hang out?"

Ino nodded and said, "Yeah, we hang out in Hinata's room. It's pretty spacious so sometimes we have sleepovers and all those good stuff, especially for TenTen."

Ino flashed TenTen a sly smile and TenTen said, "Shut up, Ino."

TenTen looked at me and asked, "So what brings you here Sakura?"

She smiled at me and Ino blurted, "Oh, I can feel it…the starting of a new friendship!"

I must've looked uneasy or something because TenTen explained, "Ino's always like that, so don't worry, Sakura." I nodded at her and settled down.

Ino turned to look at me and said, "We're friends right?"

I looked at her for a while and said, "Sure."

Ino wiped her forehead and said, "Whew, I thought you were going to reject me. Anyways, now that we're all friends, you can talk to us whenever you feel like it, Sakura." I nodded.

"So Sakura, why are you here again?" Ino asked, remembering where we left off.

"Oh, Sasuke came to find Naruto, I guess," I informed.

TenTen put a finger on her chin and asked, "Sasuke came to find Naruto?"

Ino looked surprised and said, "The only time Sasuke goes to Naruto then it has to be something serious, right?"

The door opened and Hinata softly answered, "Yes, you're right, Ino."

I looked at the lavender-eyed girl as she sat next to TenTen.

"What's going on?" Ino asked, looking at Hinata and me. Ino's eyes went back and forth as I stared at the table.

"I'm not really sure, but I was with Naruto and then Sasuke came excusing himself for interrupting us and asked if he could borrow Naruto," Hinata softly said.

Ino wiggled her eyebrows and said, "And what were you two love birds doing, eh?"

Hinata lightly blushed and said, "Not anything that you're thinking, Ino."

* * *

Ino settled down and looked at me expectantly.

I sighed and said, "Well, I'm not really sure what's going on either. All of a sudden Sasuke got up saying that he was going to see Naruto and so I was dragged along too."

Ino nodded and asked, "Why is Sasuke here?"

TenTen looked at me and questioned, "What did you guys do before coming here?"

I tilted my head and put my chin on my hands, thinking.

"Oh, that's it," I said, sitting straight. Ino's eyes sparkled and TenTen leaned in as Hinata crossed her fingers together.

"We came back from the library," I simply stated, looking at the three girls. They sighed and put their hands on their heads.

"But…Sasuke and I came back from the library arguing," I added.

Ino's eyes widened and she said, "Oh my, lover's quarrel?"

I shook my head and said, "No, not even close."

TenTen asked, "Why were you guys arguing then?"

Hinata smiled at me and said, "Girls, I don't think that it is about love."

I sighed in relief that someone was sane besides me.

"Sasuke was saying how we shouldn't have gone to the library and I guess I snapped back at him," I said, stretching my arms.

"Wow, you snapped at him?" Ino said with wide eyes.

"Well, that's because he pulled a fake kiss, that chicken-butt," I defended.

"Chicken-butt?" TenTen said, looking at Ino with a glitch in her eyes. I looked at the two with suspicious eyes.

Hinata sighed and asked, "What do you mean 'fake kiss', Sakura?"

Ino and TenTen immediately turned to stare at me with their wide and hopeful eyes.

I shook my head and said, "It's not what you're thinking, Ino and TenTen. Okay, let me go to the beginning. After leaving the hospital, I asked Sasuke to take me to the library. We went and I got some books on basic ninja techniques. And then, a red-head girl named Karin came along and started to…_flirt _with Sasuke."

"Karin?" TenTen repeated, sighing.

Ino looked at me and said, "Oh man and then what happened?"

"I'm pretty sure that she intended to bump into me, but her books fell down instead of mine. I helped her pick them up and then she sat where I was sitting and started flirting. I left Sasuke there with her, not knowing that she was a fan girl of his," I stopped to look at them.

They were shaking their heads and waved their hands for me to continue.

"Sasuke was ticked off at Karin and me. He took my hand and told Karin bye and here's where the fake kiss comes in," I told them.

Ino scooted closer to me and said, "Uh huh, what happened?"

I sighed and clarified, "Okay, it's not like I fell for his fake kiss. And I wasn't hoping for him to kiss me just to let you know, okay?"

They nodded.

"So we went through the back exit and Karin followed us a little later. I guess Sasuke figured that Karin was going to chase after us. So, Sasuke pulled a fake kiss on me and Karin fell for it and ended up being extremely pissed off at me," I explained.

* * *

I sighed and laid my head on the table. _Why must my life be so terrible?_

Ino patted my back and said, "Wow, you do know that you're going to be chased by a lot of Sasuke's fan girls?"

I nodded at her, staring at the door with my head relaxed on the table.

"I see, why Sasuke came to Naruto," Hinata said calmly.

I sat up and stared at Hinata, asking, "Why?"

TenTen smiled at me and said, "Although Sasuke may be an ass most of the times, he really does care about you, Sakura."

"He does or does he really care about succeeding on this promise of his parents?" I asked in an emotionless voice.

Ino sighed and said, "I don't really know, but I'm guessing Sasuke didn't tell you about Kana?"

I looked at her confused and then I asked, "Is she the girl who left the village?"

They looked at each other and said to me, "So he did tell you?"

"But not everything, that's for sure," I added, crossing my arms.

They nodded their heads and Ino said, "Well, this happened during our rookie days. After we graduated from the Academy, we were split into three-man teams."

Ino looked at me to make sure if I understood. I nodded.

* * *

"Honestly speaking, I was hoping to be on Sasuke's team, but then I was put on Shikamaru's team along with Choji," Ino said harshly at first but then ended finishing in a dreamy tone.

"You were a fan girl?" I asked, trying to imagine a young Ino drooling after Sasuke.

"Not really...maybe, but soon it was like 'move over, Sasuke and come on in Shikamaru', you know? I was naïve and dumb. Finally, I opened my eyes for the first time in like seven years and I fell in love with Shikamaru,"' Ino stated, dreamily. She snapped out of it and pinched herself.

We nodded and I said, "So what happened to the girl?"

"Well, Kana was the lucky girl, I guess. She was put onto the same team as Sasuke and Naruto. No offense, but she was plain. She had no special techniques and no cool inherited bloodline stuff, you know?" Ino said.

"The other girls would make fun of her," Hinata added in a sad tone.

"You couldn't really consider her a fan girl, but more like an admirer. A lot of people considered her as a fan girl though," TenTen added.

"And then before the final round of the Chunin exam, Karin moved into Konoha. Sasuke and Naruto had made it into the final round of the exams. As a celebration, Kana asked Sasuke and Naruto if they would eat cookies that she made and Sasuke replied to her. Here's the thing, not once did Sasuke ever reply to a fan girl and when Karin found out, literally hell broke loose," Ino informed.

"But I thought that she wasn't a fan girl?" I asked. Hinata shook her head and said, "She wasn't but people, especially other girls, saw Kana-chan as a fan girl."

"And then BAM, Konoha was attacked during the final rounds and Kana left the village during that time. Rumors say that she was pressured by Karin to leave but Karin denied that she had anything to do with Kana leaving the village," Ino explained.

"Who attacked the village?" I asked, curious.

"It was Orochimaru," TenTen said in a serious and grave tone.

Unconsciously, my hand moved to the nape of my neck. Instantly, I remembered the first time I met him.

"Why? Why would he attack Konoha?" I asked.

"He's a missing nin of Konoha, Sakura," Ino said.

"He wanted revenge," Hinata added in a firm tone.

"And he was interested in Sasuke," Ino said.

"Okay, but what happened to Kana?" I asked, getting us back onto track.

"Kana died, getting caught up in the middle of defending a group of Konoha children," Ino said in a grave tone.

We stayed silent for a while until Hinata said, "But don't worry Sakura. That won't happen to you."

"Even if Sasuke's crazy fan girls are after you, I know that you have the strength to beat them up," TenTen said, twirling a kunai.

"Uh, thanks," I muttered. _I didn't even see her take out her kunai._

* * *

_So Orochimaru was into Sasuke, too? What a pedophile! _

"Oi, Sakura!" Ino yelled, waving her hand in front of my face.

I snapped out of it and looked at Ino and asked, "Um, what?"

Ino looked at me and said, "How could you not be listening to me, Sakura?"

I shrugged and offered, "Sorry?"

TenTen and Hinata laughed and then Ino and I joined in.

After calming down, I asked, "So, what were you telling me before, Ino?''

Ino smiled smugly and then paused, thinking thoughtfully.

"Naruto told me that you never had friends?" Hinata said softly.

I looked at her and then mumbled, "Naruto, you big mouth."

Laying on the ground and staring at the ceiling, I replied, "Yeah, Naruto's right. I never had the chance to make friends."

Ino sniffled and asked, "Really? Like you never ever had one friend in your whole life?"

"Do relatives count?" I asked. Ino shook her head.

"Then, I guess I was right. I didn't have any friends besides my parents and my grandma," I stated.

I closed my eyes and thought of my parents.

* * *

Opening my eyes, I saw that Hinata and the other girls were standing up.

Ino held a hand out to me and said, "Let's go get some fresh air, Forehead?"

I smiled back and said, "Of course, Ino-pig."

Ino smiled in response and said, "Hey, we might just even become best friends?"

I shrugged and replied, "We'll see." We left Hinata's room and sat under a tree.

I lay down on the grass and closed my eyes. "Are you sleepy?" Hinata asked.

"…I'm not really sure," I said, with my eyes closed. The wind blew and my hair wiggled a bit in the air.

"So, I overheard your conversation with Neji earlier," TenTen asked. I opened my eyes and stared at the hanging leaves.

"And so…" I prodded.

"You were born in the outskirts of Konoha?" TenTen asked.

"Yeah, I was born in the same house that I was raised in," I replied, catching a green leaf as it fell down from the tree.

"That explains why we never saw you in the Academy," Ino stated.

"I guess," I said, holding onto the stem of the green leaf as it blew in the air.

"But how come we never saw you when your parents came to visit our parents?" Hinata asked, with a soft tone.

I sighed and let the leaf fly in the gentle gust of wind.

Staring at the tree, I answered, "I'm not really sure either. I guess it was for safety precautions. Actually, I never left the house. Most of the time, my grandma would watch over me when my parent's left."

"Really?" they all questioned at the same time.

I nodded and gave a little laugh.

* * *

"Yummy, ninja guys at 1 o'clock," Ino cooed.

"Oi!" I could hear Naruto yell to us.

I paid no attention and continued to stare at the tree. The leaves started to slowly fall one by one.

I caught a leaf as I remembered my dream from this morning.

_Orochimaru…Just what is your plan? _

_How can I find a way to get Naruto's dad back? _

The wind blew and caressed my hand.

Snapping out of it, I let go of the new leaf and it flew away.

I sat up and said, "Nature."

* * *

**Stay Tuned for Another Chapter of...**

**"Welcome to the Enhanced World" **


	27. Chapter 27

*Chapter 27: Thoughts and Plans

* * *

Please R&R :)

_Thoughts- Italics_

**Bold- Inner**

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: NARUTO DOES NOT BELONG TO ME!**

* * *

**Sasuke POV:**

"Ahem, can I talk to you, Naruto?" I asked.

Naruto was walking with Hinata, holding hands.

Naruto turned to look at me and his eyes widened as he asked, "Tem-Sasuke, what are you doing here?"

Hinata blushed lightly and patted Naruto on his arm and said, "I'll be going. You stay and talk with him, okay?"

Naruto was going to say something but Hinata gave him a light peck on the lips as Naruto nodded.

Hinata smiled at me and walked away. "Thanks, Hinata," I said.

I saw her nod as she turned the corner.

"What's up, Teme?" Naruto asked, walking towards me.

"Eh, is it about Sakura? Did you make her cry again? I'm serious, Sasuke, did you?" Naruto asked, holding a fist up.

_Sakura was crying? When?_

I ran my fingers through my hair and said, "Ah, it must have been after we argued."

"Did you guys make up?" Naruto asked, with a gleam of hope in his eyes.

I shook my head and said, "She brought it up today but that was it. I didn't want to talk about it."

Naruto sighed and scolded, "As a guy, Teme, you should be a little more caring. Don't lightly take things."

I sighed and sat down on the bench.

"Sasuke, what's the matter with you these days?" Naruto asked, sitting next to me.

I looked at my hands and said, "I did something very stupid today."

Naruto looked at me with suspicion.

Putting my hands next to my sides, I said, "Karin was at the library and I pissed her off."

Naruto gave me a dumb look and said, "Uh, well, yeah you always piss her off by not talking to her?"

"That too, but I did something extremely stupid. I got Sakura involved with my fan girls," I replied.

"You… what?! How could you?" Naruto stated, standing up and pointing at me.

I gave him a bland look and explained, "It was the only way."

"I tricked Karin into thinking that I kissed Sakura," I told Naruto.

"This isn't good, Sasuke," Naruto said.

"I know, Dobe," I replied. Shikamaru stepped out with Neji.

"Looks like you're stuck," Shikamaru said, with his hands stuffed in his pockets.

Neji shook his head and stated, "There's a way for you to get out of this sticky situation."

I looked at them and said, "I know and I've already thought of one."

Shikamaru looked at me and said, "Tell me."

"So, you're going to have Sakura-chan pretend to be your girlfriend?" Naruto asked.

"That's what I just said, Dobe," I retorted.

Neji was leaning against the tree and said, "This is going to be interesting."

"No, this is going to be troublesome," Shikamaru rephrased.

We walked over to Hinata's room. Neji opened the door only to reveal a room with no Sakura.

"Eh, maybe your crazy fan girls took the girls?" Naruto concluded, holding his head.

"Dobe, they're by the hill over there," I stated. Naruto sighed in relief.

"Seriously, Naruto you're too overdramatic," Neji said, walking ahead of us.

"Naruto, I'm pretty sure that Ino and the rest would be able to handle Sasuke's malicious fans," Shikamaru said, yawning and following Neji.

We made our way up the little hill. From far away, I could see Sakura laying on the grass with a hand out, catching the falling leaves.

Ino waved at Shikamaru and turned to say something to the other girls.

Sakura paid no attention to Ino.

_She's acting weird._

When we arrived to Ino their place, Sakura just sat laying there mesmerized by the leaf in her hand.

"Oi, is Sakura-chan alright?" Naruto asked with a worried look.

Sakura had a hand out in the hair gripping onto the leaf.

"She's thinking, Naruto-kun," Hinata chided, hiding a smile. Naruto sat next to Hinata and they continued to talk.

I stood next to Sakura. _Should I tell her to snap out of it?_

"Teme," Naruto warned as if he read my mind.

I sighed and looked at Sakura who still hadn't noticed my being next to her.

"Nature," I heard her whisper to herself. Suddenly, she snapped out of her little world.

* * *

**Sakura POV:**

"Nature," I whispered to myself.

I quickly sat up, letting go of the leaf in my hand.

I saw Naruto them sitting next to their girlfriends. _No time for love._

I moved and my elbow hit something. I turned to look and said, "Oh, there you are."

"Hn," Sasuke said, with that cool demeanor of his. I could feel Sasuke still staring at me.

I shrugged and Ino gave me a light smile, encouraging me to not get upset.

I stood up, looking around. The wind tangled with my hair.

I looked at my shirt that said 'Save the Trees.'

"Nature," I whispered. Naruto looked at me and asked, "Did you say something, Sakura-chan?"

There was a strong gust of wind and I felt it push my hand.

The gust blew harder and the others braced themselves with their arms.

"This way, Sakura," I heard Nature's voice. Slowly, I made my way to down the little hill.

"Sakura, where are you going?!" Sasuke yelled against the wind.

"Kyaa! What is the matter with the wind?!" Ino yelled, holding her arms against her face.

I turned to look at them; the wind had created a strong gust.

Sighing, I quickly made my way back up to the others.

The wind had gathered into the form of a human.

I put my hand on its shoulder and said, "Stop, please. They're with me."

The wind turned to look at me and it gave me a small nod before dissolving into the air.

* * *

"Hurry, Sakura," Nature's voice said. Sasuke and the rest fell, sitting on their butt.

"Stay here," I said, turning to leave, but Sasuke grabbed my hand.

"No, I have to go with you," he informed. I looked away, hoping that Nature would wait for me.

I sighed and said, "Ino, are you guys coming?" They nodded and I told them to hurry.

I lead the way, running down the little hill with the rest running to keep up with me.

"Hurry Sakura," Nature said. "I'm coming," I said, heading into the wood.

Moving tree branches out of my way, I could hear Nature's voice clearer.

"Sakura, come this way. Turn left," I said, turning to check up on the others.

Finally, walking out into a peaceful and remote area, I stopped.

Nature came out looking the same as I last saw her.

In short words, imagine a human minus the skin/flesh and bones but make her see through.

She's made out of air.

Walking towards us, the dying flowers started to bloom again.

"Who are these people, Sakura?" Nature said in a suspicious tone. I heard Naruto make a nervous noise.

I turned to look at Sasuke them and said, "It's okay. They're my friends."

I spread my arms out, giving Nature a firm look.

She laughed and said, "Oh my, indeed you've matured since I last saw you. No more wigs and contacts."

I simply shrugged and replied, "Yeah, I was getting tired off cosplaying."

She smiled at me and informed, "You called for me, sakura."

I looked at her in confusion and said, "Oh, I did?"

"Sakura, you need to recognize your own powers," Nature said, shaking her head.

* * *

"Sakura, just who is this lady?" Naruto asked, scratching his head.

I turned around to look at them and Sasuke asked, "And what did she mean by 'wigs and contacts.'"

I looked back at Nature who crossed her arms and sighed, saying, "Looks like you're in for a long ride."

I sighed, raking my hand through my pink hair.

The wind blew and I introduced, "This is Nature."

"What?!" most of them exclaimed. I clamped my ears shut with my hands.

"Anyways, about the wigs and contacts…uh, well, you see, you guys met me many times in the Human World," I finished, hoping that they wouldn't get mad at me.

"What do you mean, Sakura?" TenTen asked.

"Okay, then, let me lend you a hand Sakura," Nature stated, holding up a tan messenger bag.

I ran over to open the bag and sighed, with my head hanging down.

"I thought I was done with this stuff," I muttered as I went behind a tree.

Naruto was about to say something when Nature held up a finger to her lips. Naruto got the message and waited patiently.

Putting the brown wig on along with the chocolate-shaded contacts, I stepped out with the tan bag strung over one shoulder.

"Oh my goodness… Sakura you were Hana the whole time?!" Ino yelled, pointing at me.

Again, I closed my ears as I waited for them to get it out of their system.

Waiting, I looked at Sasuke, who looked still as passive as ever.

Removing my hands from my ears, Naruto said, "Sasuke, you're not surprised?"

"Hn," Sasuke said, crossing his arms.

Nature laughed and commented, "I have to say Sakura you found yourself a fun crowd to hang out with."

I sighed at her comment and said, "Not you too, Nature." Shaking my head, I removed the brown wig and the brown contacts.

I looked at Nature and she pointed at my bag.

Already knowing what to do, I opened the bag as I stomped off to the tree again.

* * *

As I was stuffing the brown wig into the tan bag, Nature predicted, "Don't worry, Naruto. This one will really get Sasuke."

I put on the black wig and the icy-clue contacts.

I was going to step out but Nature said, "Not yet, Sakura."

I could feel the others starting to grow weary and said, "But…"

Nature shook her head and said, "Wait, Sakura."

She stared at my clothes and my brown shirt and dark jeans turned into a white blouse with a dark blazer on top and a black skirt that stopped a few inches above my knees. And I was even wearing my leggings.

It was like everything went back to day 1.

I sighed in frustration.

Walking out from behind the tree, I saw Sasuke's eyes widen as the wind blew my hair slightly.

Neji's façade broke and he gaped at me making TenTen take out a kunai.

"WOW, what a hottie!" Ino said, putting two thumbs up. Shikamaru shook his head, mumbling, "Troublesome."

I glared at Ino and looked at the ground.

I looked back at Sasuke and found that he was staring at me shocked.

"Damn, I didn't even realize," Sasuke said in a low voice.

The others laughed and Ino said, "I know and I was the one who picked Sakura, ha."

Tugging at my clothes, I looked at Nature who smiled back at me, changing my clothes back to normal.

Taking off the wig and contacts and shoving them back into the tan bag, I gave Nature the bag full of fake identities.

"Here," I said, handing it to her. She smiled and said, "I guess you're done with hiding and incognito?"

I smiled at her and replied, "Definitely."

* * *

We talked for a while and when I say 'we', I mean it.

Everyone was really thoughtful and easy going with the Nature stuff.

"Ah, I see. So you guys are the children of the people that Sakura's parents made promises with?" Nature said, sitting in mid-air.

They nodded.

I was lying on the grass, staring at the sky as the sun set.

_How am I supposed to wake up Naruto's dad? Where are my parents?_

Abruptly sitting up, I looked at Nature. Feeling my stare, she turned to stare at me.

"Questions?" she asked, knowingly.

I nodded, hugging my knees to my chest. Nature stood and said, "Excuse me, I'm going to talk with Sakura in private."

I followed her into the woods, with my hands stuffed in my pockets.

Sighing, I asked, "Nature, I don't know what to do. I mean, I know what I have to solve but I don't understand how I am supposed to go about it."

She was sitting in mid-air and stated again, "You need to recognize your powers."

"What?" I asked, looking at her.

"Have you tried accessing your kekkai Genkai? No, you haven't," Nature claimed.

Sighing, I looked at the ground and said, "Well ever since I went to the Human World, I stopped using my powers."

"You're in the Ninja World now, Sakura," she added.

"I know," I said. _I'll probably have to start training again._

Looking at Nature, I asked, "How am I supposed to bring Naruto's dad back?"

She stared at me thoughtfully and answered, "The way your parents did."

I gave her a suspicious look and stated, "You don't mean… I should make a deal with the Demon?"

Nature solemnly nodded at me. I threw my hands in the air and turned to walk back.

She floated next to me and said, "I'm sorry, but that's the only way."

I shook my head and replied, "No, I should have known. Ever since I came here, it's like everything that is tying me here are these promises that mom and dad made."

Walking out to the clearing, I looked at Naruto and Sasuke. Instantly, I thought about their old teammate.

_They must have gone through a lot. _

I turned to look at Nature and she reminded, "Don't forget to start training."

"Yeah, I'll start soon," I said as she vanished into thin air.

* * *

**Stay Tuned for Another Chapter of...**

**"Welcome to the Enhanced World" **


	28. Chapter 28

*Chapter 28: Sincerity Gets You Somewhere

* * *

Please R&R :)

_Thoughts- Italics_

**Bold- Inner**

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: NARUTO DOES NOT BELONG TO ME!**

* * *

**Sakura POV:**

Nature vanished.

I stood, staring at Ino and the others.

Naruto smiled at me and I sincerely smiled back at him.

"Oi, Sakura, come on!" Ino yelled, flailing her arms over her head.

Remembering what Nature had said to me about my new friends, I smiled even more.

We walked back to Hinata's house talking to each other.

"So, Sakura, you're going to start training?" Shikamaru asked. I nodded.

And Ino added, "And as your awesome friends we all will help you train!"

I smiled at Ino gratefully.

"Okay then, it's settled! Tomorrow morning at seven, we will start training. No late excuses will be accepted," TenTen said, giving Naruto a look.

Naruto looked away and whined, "Hey! That's not nice to be picking on me only."

* * *

Heading to the apartment, Sasuke and I walked in silence. I looked at the star-filled sky with my hands tucked behind my back.

Sasuke walked behind me. The wind blew my long pink hair back.

"Sakura," Sasuke said. I turned to look at him, giving him a curious look. _What is it now?_

"What," I asked, turning away from him and continuing to walk.

Walking up the spiral staircase, I waited for Sasuke to speak with anticipation.

Listening to his light footsteps was what I received. _ Sigh. Is he still upset?_

I turned around to look at Sasuke irritated.

Holding my arms out to block his path, Sasuke looked up at me.

I was standing one step higher than him. Taking a finger, I had the courage to poke him on the chest.

"Sasuke, what do you need to say? Spill the beans," I demanded, crossing my arms. _He probably doesn't find me very threatening right now. _

Sasuke looked away from me and walked past me silently.

Quickly turning to stare at Sasuke as he walked up the stairs, his shoulder slightly brushed mine.

Losing my balance, I looked at Sasuke's retreating figure.

_Should I hold onto him? That would only make him fall with me. Ugh, this is like last time. _

Hearing my thumping heart seemed to make everything happen in slow motion.

I bit my bottom lip, fighting the urge to grab onto Sasuke. _That would make our situation even worse._

I fell down a few steps, causing Sasuke to turn around and look at me.

Propping myself up, I quickly placed my hand on the bottom step.

Sasuke was in front of me in a flash, helping me get up. When I stood up, I felt a flash of pain rising within my ankle. I sat back down, holding onto my ankle until I noticed my arms.

"Crap, my arm's bleeding," I said, staring at my two arms. They were scratched up.

Sasuke sighed, bringing me out of my thoughts. He bent down, holding his arms out.

I stared at him confused and asked, "Uh, Sasuke, what are you doing?"

Giving me a dumb look, he explained, "I'm going to piggy back you, unless you want me to carry you?"

Gladly getting onto his back, I said, "Nah, I'll just go with option piggy back."

Sasuke coughed as I relaxed onto his back and asked, "Are you okay? Are you getting sick?"

He stiffly shook his head and then replied, "No, I'm fine."

Relaxing my arms around his neck, I gently set my head on his back.

Listening to his steady rhythm of breath intake, I felt my eyes slowly close.

_No, I must not fall a sleep on a guy's back!_

* * *

Forcing myself to stay awake, I stared at Sasuke's neck.

I know, I know, it's not like I meant to check him out but I needed something to concentrate on.

Anyways, I was staring at Sasuke's neck and I noticed that he had a mark on the nape of his neck.

"Sakura, I need you to get off so I can open the door," Sasuke said, interrupting my thoughts.

"Oh, yeah, of course," I got off of him as he held the door open for me.

I limped my way into the bathroom, grabbing my extra clothes and towel on the way.

Staring at my swollen ankle in the shower, I healed the minor scratches on my arms and sighed.

Washing the shampoo out of my hair, I closed my eyes and thought about the mark on Sasuke's neck.

_Then what Ino said was really true? Orochimaru was into Sasuke._

_I'll have to ask Sasuke later. _

Limping out into the bedroom dressed in a large grey T-shirt and white mid-thigh length shorts, Sasuke looked at me.

Looking away from him, I limped over to the bed and sat down.

Holding a first aid box, Sasuke bent down on his knees ordering, "Don't kick me."

I smiled at him and said, "I won't." I stared at his messy hair and asked, "Do you purposely do that?"

He looked up at me and I stared back at those obsidian eyes, pointing at his hair.

Sasuke looked at me and lightly touched his dark hair saying, "No, even if I comb it down it always comes back looking like this."

I chuckled lightly and thought out loud, "I like your hair like this. Somehow, it makes you seem a little more boyish?"

Sasuke 'Hned' and went back to bandaging my ankle.

Staring at his hair, I felt an urge to touch it. Biting my lips, I wondered to myself if he would let me touch his hair. _I wonder if his hair is soft?_

I shook my head, trying to get rid of those childish thoughts.

Having Sasuke bandage my ankle made my skin sting from his touch.

Sasuke got up and said, "Next time, be more careful, Sakura."

"Well, it's not like I intended to fall," I defended, crossing my arms.

* * *

Sasuke set the first-aid box on the table and walked to the bathroom, grabbing his towel.

Once Sasuke shut the bathroom door, I held my ankle and tried to heal it.

Feeling drained, I could only heal my ankle so that I didn't limp so much.

Walking out of the room with little pressure on my sprained ankle, I went to grab an apple from the kitchen.

I noticed that the kitchen window had curtains now. "That's weird, maybe Sasuke got them?" I muttered to myself as I walked back to the room.

I slowly walked into the room, opening the door, to see Sasuke wet from the shower.

He was only wearing dark grey sweats and no shirt.

Dropping my apple, I covered my eyes saying, "Oh my gosh, I am so sorry." _Please, don't throw a tantrum. Please. _

Sasuke sighed and said, "You can remove your hands."

Slowly moving one hand at a time, I looked to see a fully dressed Sasuke and sighed in relief, picking up my apple.

He wore a dark loose T-shirt that somehow managed to emphasize his muscles.

Staring at the ground as I silently made my way to the bed, Sasuke sighed again and left the room.

Feeling at ease, I flopped onto the bed, wiping the green apple with the hem of my shirt.

Lying on the bed and chewing on the apple, Sasuke walked in and sat in the chair by the desk.

I wrapped myself in the blanket and turned to look at the wall.

* * *

**Sasuke POV:**

Sakura turned away from me, chewing on her apple in peace.

I remembered what Dobe said earlier:

"_As a guy, Teme, you should be a little more caring. Don't lightly take things." _

Frustrated, I ran my hand through my hair.

Sakura turned to look at me with an intense look. I stared back at her and she turned away.

_Why is she so troublesome? I'm starting to sound like Shikamaru now._

"Sasuke," Sakura called. I turned to look at her and asked, "What?"

She looked at the ground and said, "So what were you trying to tell me before?

"Ah…" I started.

Sakura looked at me, irritated and insisted, "Hurry up and spill the beans."

I smirked at her and replied, "Patience is a virtue."

"Yeah, I know but look at what my patience did to me," she stated, gesturing to her ankle.

I shook my head and retorted, "It's not because of that."

"Then what is it? If I didn't wait for you to answer and block you back there at the staircase, then I wouldn't have hurt my ankle," Sakura decided.

"You were waiting to hear what I was going to say?" I asked.

"Duh and I still am. The only one prolonging the answer is you," Sakura claimed, pointing at me.

"Ah, I see. So I'm the one taking forever?" I repeated. Sakura made no effort in answering and went to go throw away the core of the apple.

She brushed her teeth and came back to the bed preparing to sleep.

Giving up, I said, "Look, Sakura. Maybe we started off bad, but we should try to get over it, okay?"

Sakura turned away from me. _She doesn't plan on talking to me. _

Growing annoyed, I commanded, "Sakura when someone's talking to you, you should look at them."

An upset Sakura turned to look at me.

"Thank you," I said continuing, "Anyways, I came up with a solution." She sat up, hugging the pillow.

Sakura gave me a confused look and I reminded her, "A solution for escaping from my crazy fan girls."

"Oh, okay? Go ahead and tell me," She said, crossing her legs.

"Pretend to be my girlfriend," I simply stated. Sakura stared at me. Her emerald eyes were glued onto me.

"That…is the most stupid idea I have ever heard," Sakura claimed, uncrossing her legs.

_I figured it would be like this._

"Well, do you have an efficient plan?" I asked, crossing my arms.

Sakura nodded and stated, "Yes, I do have a plan AND I plan on sticking to it. You're not going to change my mind. If any of your fan girls come to me, then I will deal with them myself."

"I shouldn't have even bothered to ask you," I said, staring at the stubborn girl.

"Yep," Sakura happily said, turning to lie down after shutting the light.

* * *

**SAKURA POV:**

_Why would he say that? Obviously, he knows that I am not insane. _

Shutting the light, I lay in the big bed.

I heard Sasuke's light footsteps come closer to the bed.

"What-" I started to ask, getting cut off by Sasuke.

"-I'm sleeping on the bed so scoot over Sakura," He demanded. Defying him, I laid on the edge of the bed with my arms crossed against my chest.

All of a sudden, I felt Sasuke's hands pushing me over as he said, "Sharing is caring."

Jumping away from his hands, I moved to the wall. "You're smirking, aren't you?" I demanded.

Sasuke lay where I was as I turned away from him and warned, "You better not try anything funny."

_Why would Sasuke want to sleep in my bed? He's got to have a motive for this. _

Turning to face Sasuke, I asked, "So why are you really here?" I stared at his face, almost missing it because of his dark hair.

"Perceptive. Would you like to sleep in a chair? And besides this is a queen size bed, Sakura," Sasuke said, turning to face me.

I fought the shivers that I could feel starting to crawl up my arms.

"Really or are you trying to annoy me for not complying with your so called solution?" I asked, smirking at him.

Sasuke stayed quiet for a while and said, "That too and something else."

Turning away from him, I yawned.

"Sakura…" Sasuke started. "What is it now?" I asked, rubbing my eyes.

I turned to see Sasuke lying right next to me. Backing up, I hit the wall behind me.

_Why didn't I expect this?_

"Um, you're kind of in my personal space? You know my 'bubble'?" I informed, waving my hands in front of his face.

Sasuke smirked at me and said, "Yeah, I kind of figured. But you seem to think best when you're cornered."

I gaped at him and retorted, "No, that's not true."

Sasuke stared at me with his hard dark eyes and said, "Naruto told me that you were crying that day after we argued."

I was cursing Naruto in my head instead of saying it out loud.

I hesitated to answer. _He'll probably see it as annoying and irritating._

"…No, I wasn't," I denied, looking away from his face.

_I need to get away from him. Why do I always have to be cornered by him? _

**Really, I find the situation quite amusing…and irresistible. **

_Oh, shut up. _ **Just stating my thoughts…have fun dealing with Sasuke!**

"Is that so, Sakura?" Sasuke inquired. I stayed silent, looking at anything but Sasuke.

_Ah ha! I found a way to escape… I'm going to slip off the bed going down. Sasuke will never know!_

Hoping that Sasuke wouldn't see me slipping off the bed, I slowly inched my way down the bed.

"And where do you think you're going?" Sasuke asked, sitting up.

_Damn and I was already on the floor!_

* * *

I stood up and awkwardly lied, "I'm going to get a drink of water."

Sasuke flashed me a smirk as I took a step towards the bedroom door.

He tugged on my arm and I collided against his chest.

I was sitting on my legs with my head pressed against Sasuke's chest.

I could hear my heart thump ten thousand more times louder.

_I'm probably blushing like crazy right now. _

I took a slow and steady intake of oxygen. _Oh gosh, hopefully, I don't start stuttering like Hinata._

Putting my hands on Sasuke's chest, I tried to push myself away from him.

Sasuke hugged me close to his body, tightening his grip on my back.

"You know, you're a bad liar," Sasuke commented. Thankful that he couldn't see my face, I stayed silent.

"Hmph," I said, crossing my arms.

Sasuke loosened his grip on me as I quickly laid back down, covering myself with the layers of blankets.

Before I could scoot away from Sasuke, he wrapped his arms around my waist pulling me closer to him. _How did he get under the blankets so fast? _

"W-what are you doing?" I asked, mentally slapping myself for stuttering.

Sasuke's eyes were soft and caring. One look at his eyes had calmed me down.

_I see what people mean when they say that the eyes are the windows to the soul. _

Tearing my eyes away from Sasuke's face, I looked away from him.

Suddenly, Sasuke wrapped his arms even tighter around me as he mumbled, "I'm sorry."

Surprised, I managed to look up at him and questioned, "What did you say?"

Sasuke gave me a look and sighed, saying, "I said I'm sorry, Sakura." Stunned, I looked at Sasuke silently.

"Wow, I'm shocked. I never thought that you could apologize," I stated.

Sasuke glared at me for a second and said, "I'm not that evil."

"Just kidding," I defended, lightly poking him on the arm.

"Okay, you had your fun time. Now it's my turn. So why aren't you calling me by my name, Sakura?" Sasuke asked in a demanding tone.

"What are you talking about?" I played dumb, staring somewhere else.

"Sakura," Sasuke warned, lifting my chin so that we were eye to eye.

I looked away from Sasuke's face.

Sasuke pulled me closer to him so that I was pressed up against him.

I sighed and mumbled into his chest, "You really want to know?"

"Don't leave out a single detail," he said.

"…You told me to not call your name and so I stopped calling you by your name, okay?" I explained.

Sasuke sighed and scooted down, so that he was leveled to me.

I pouted and Sasuke said, "You're so childish." I crossed my arms and looked away.

"Look, Sakura, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to say those things to you. The other day I was just mad and upset. I vented my stress out on you and I'm sorry," Sasuke said.

I turned to look at him with watery eyes.

He looked taken aback and asked, "Why are you crying now, Sakura?"

I shook my head and said, "It's nothing."

Sasuke frowned and said, "No, it's not 'nothing' like you said. I know it's something."

Quickly wiping my short tears, I looked at Sasuke who ran a hand through his messy hair.

"It was just a female thing," I excused as Sasuke narrowed his eyes at me and mumbled, "Fine."

"It's okay. You did have the right to get mad Sasuke," I added, saying his name softly.

"So this is it? You forgive me?" Sasuke said, looking at me.

I shook my head and said, "You have to let me do one last thing before I forgive you. I promise you it's not that hard."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at me.

* * *

**SASUKE POV: **

"You have to let me do one last thing before I forgive you. I promise you it's not that hard," Sakura said, pleading with me.

I stared at her through narrowed eyes.

Sighing, I surrendered, "Fine, go ahead and tell me."

She smiled at me.

_She looks more beautiful when she smiles. And_ _I can't believe that I just thought that._

Sakura flipped onto her stomach with propping herself up with her elbow. Her hand reached out to me.

"What are you doing, Sakura?" I asked. Sakura sat up and positioned her body towards me.

She flashed me a sly smile and said, "I'm touching your hair. You said I could."

Taking her hand, I gently placed her hand on my hair and quickly removed it.

"If I knew that you were going to ask this, I wouldn't have given in to your request," I muttered.

I looked at Sakura who was too busy gawking at her hand.

"Sakura, what are you doing?" I commanded.

"Wow…." Sakura said, staring at me….well, more like she was staring at my hair.

"What?" I demanded, sitting up.

Suddenly, she smiled at me and said, "Thanks, Sasuke and by the way I already forgave you but now I'm positive that I did the right choice by forgiving you again."

I smiled at her, feeling more at ease with myself.

* * *

**SAKURA POV:**

I stared at Sasuke and said, "Sasuke, you just smiled at me. For the first time, you actually managed to NOT smirk at me! Good job, Sasuke."

Sasuke shook his head not believing what he just heard and claimed, "Really, Sakura? You're way too childish."

Lying back down on my stomach with my chin on my hands, I declared, "Oh really? I'm too childish? Who was the one who wanted me to pretend being his girlfriend?"

Sasuke stared down at me and said, "Well, that was before but now I've made up my mind."

"Sakura, I'm serious, I think you should be my girlfriend," Sasuke said, staring at me intently.

"What?" I asked. _Is this some sort of trick?_

"Sakura, I'm saying that I want you to be my girlfriend," Sasuke rephrased.

"…You seriously and sincerely mean this, Sasuke?" I asked, suspicious.

He nodded and I peered into his eyes, only to see determination and sincerity.

Sighing, I started, "Sasuke…"

Sasuke looked at me with wide eyes. I sat up, staring at him.

"I don't know, Sasuke… As much as I find you undeniably cute and irresistible and even a jerk at times, I hate to admit it. I do like you, but I don't know if you're willing to deal with me," I explained, staring at Sasuke.

Sasuke smirked and said, "Definitely, I'm willing to stick with you if you are."

I smiled at him and said, "You do know that I have a lot of problems. If I become your girlfriend then that means that you're going to be dealing with me and my issues, you thought about that right?"

"Of course, Sakura, I know. As a ninja, I'm supposed to know the battlefield before I enter it?" Sasuke said, smirking.

"Wipe that smirk off of your face, pretty boy," I demanded. _Ah, that's what makes you attractive though. _

"Make me," Sasuke said.

Getting on to my knees, I planted a quick kiss on his lips.

"So you think I'm pretty, seriously? You should've chose a different word," Sasuke asked, pulling back to look at me incredulously. I shrugged.

"You know, your hair is really soft and silky? I think it makes you look even more appealing," I stated, smiling proudly.

Sasuke gently tackled me which turned into hugging me as he kissed me back.

After the deep kiss, he asked, "Is this a yes?"

Smiling, I teased, "Gee, I don't know. After all that kissing, you think that I'd say no?"

A little while later, I lay sleeping next to Sasuke and he said, "You know, Sakura? You have pretty big cups."

Turning to look at him, I put a hand on his chest and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Cup size," Sasuke repeated.

It finally clicked and I demanded, "What are you trying to say, you pervert? You only like me because of my boobs? Oh my, did you purposely touch my boobs last time? Tsk, Tsk, Sasuke who knew that you were a pervert eh?"

He smiled at me, pulling me closer and said, "No, I'm trying to say that you are mine and _only _mine."

* * *

**Stay Tuned for Another Chapter of…**

"**Welcome to the Enhanced World" **

***What did you think of this chapter?**


	29. Chapter 29

*Chapter 29: Passion

* * *

Please R&R :)

_Thoughts- Italics_

**Bold- InnerDISCLAIMER: NARUTO DOES NOT BELONG TO ME!**

* * *

**Sakura POV:**

Stretching my arms, I hit something hard.

Groaning, I slowly sat up and glared at the object lying next to me.

"Oh, it's just you Sasuke," I stated in a nonchalant tone. _It's just Sasuke. No big deal…_

"…. WAIT, Sasuke what are you doing in my bed?" I ordered, turning to look at him.

Sasuke yanked my hand and I landed on top of his chest.

Feeling his sensational stare, I looked at him while mentally trying to remember what happened last night.

"Sakura, you don't remember what we did last night?" Sasuke asked in a grave tone.

I stared at him and remembered what happened last night. _Yep, I'm Sasuke's girlfriend with a lot of his fan girls after my head! _

Playing dumb, I shook my head nervously. Sasuke raised an eyebrow and asked, "You really don't remember?"

"I have Short Term Memory, Sasuke? So why are you in my bed?" I asked when in truth, I was playing with him.

Sasuke looked away and then stared at my face for a while.

"Then… maybe this will help you remember?" Sasuke claimed, pulling me closer to him. He smirked at me. _Two can play at this game. _

Figuring out his plan, I quickly got out of his reach and said, "Ha, just kidding Sasuke! I remember now."

I grabbed my towel/ extra clothes and went into the bathroom. Sasuke 'Hned' as I shut the bathroom door.

* * *

I came out of the bathroom wearing fresh clothes and walked into an empty bedroom.

_Hmm… he probably went into the kitchen. _

Opening the built-in closet, I tossed my clothes into the laundry hamper.

Sasuke knocked on the bedroom door that was wide open.

I turned to look at him with a questioning look.

"Why did you knock on the door?" I asked, pushing some strands of my super wet hair back.

Sasuke stared at me… well, more like my exposing black bra.

I quickly covered my chest with my arms.

"Crap, I forgot that this was a white shirt," I mumbled. Sasuke kept staring at me.

"Oi, Sasuke, don't make me come over there!" I threatened, holding a fist in the air.

He held his hands up and responded, "Don't worry, actually, I'd prefer it if you don't come near me."

Looking at him confused, I demanded, "Why? What's the matter?"

He shook his head and walked to the bathroom.

I stood there with his words ringing in my head. _I'd prefer it if you don't come near me._

* * *

Collapsing onto the ground, I shut the closet with my foot.

Yes, I was feeling extremely confused and sulky. _What's the matter with Sasuke? _

Sasuke came out of the bathroom wearing nothing but his dark jeans.

I quickly stood up and stared at him, leaning against the closet.

His stare was penetrating, probably because his eyes were emotionless.

"Sasuke?" I whispered. **Ah, love is full of twists and turns. **

I took a step towards him and Sasuke ordered, "Stop, Sakura. Don't come near me."

I stopped and asked, "Why? What's the matter?"

Sasuke responded with an icy glare.

Pushing my tears, I demanded, "Sasuke, look, I don't know what the problem is but you should tell me what's going on in that messy head of yours."

Sasuke sighed, pinching his nose.

And then, he walked coolly past me.

As he entered into the dark hallway, I followed after him.

"Look, Sasuke, I'm pretty sure we can compromise," I suggested. _Goodness, he's so stubborn. This is my first relationship with a guy too! _

"Sasuke, could you please stop?" I asked. No answer from Sasuke.

_I guess, this all I can do then. _

I hugged Sasuke from the back, stopping him. He didn't even bother to turn around.

"Look Sasuke, if you have an issue, you should tell me. This isn't a random one sided love relationship, okay? We're… a couple and that means that we have to work together," I informed. _Maybe he'll listen to me? _

"Sasuke," I said softly. Biting my bottom lip, I stared at his bare back.

Sasuke walked away from me and I was left to stare at the retreating figure.

Sighing, I walked back into the room. _Wow, I wasn't even perturbed by his muscular chest. _

I sat on the bed, wrapping my hands around my knees.

_No, no crying!_

Frustrated, I hid under the blankets and shoved my face into the pillows.

Yes, I did what I could only do. I screamed all of my pain and anger into the poor pillow.

Gripping the pillow tighter due to anger, my face was practically smothered and I could barely breathe.

I wasn't paying attention to myself; it was more of me paying attention to my anger.

A little later, I knocked out.

* * *

**SASUKE POV:**

"Sasuke, I'm sure that we can compromise," Sakura pleaded with me.

I walked into the kitchen, leaving her alone in the hallway.

Hearing her footsteps retreat, I sighed.

A little later, I heard her muffled screams.

"Ugh, why does she have to retort to that method. It really isn't safe," I muttered to myself.

I waited for Sakura to finish screaming into her pillows.

Soon, she stopped. I thought that she would have continued a little bit more.

_I know that I'm going to have to go tell her what's really going on. _

Not hearing her move or scream, I walked back into the room.

"Sakura, I'm coming in," I asked, opening the door.

She was lying on her stomach with her face stuffed into the pillows.

Giving her an odd look, I stated, "Sakura, stop the act. Get up and look at me. This isn't the time to be sleeping."

She didn't budge an inch. She wasn't even moving.

Usually, when people are breathing you can see their chest or back go up and down in a rhythmic pattern.

I quickly ran over to her and demanded, "Sakura, Sakura?"

I patted her on the shoulders for a second.

Gently, I flipped her over. She was pale. It seemed like she was sleeping but after all the commotion I made, a normal person would have waked up.

Putting my head on her chest, I listened to her heart. It was steady.

However, her chest wasn't rising with air. In fact, she wasn't even breathing.

I performed CPR on her. _Stupid Sakura, you better not die. _

Removing my mouth from her cold lips, I put my hands on her chest and repeated, "Sakura, you better wake up."

I gently pumped air into Sakura. "Sakura, you better listen to me," I said.

Was I trying to soothe myself? I really don't know.

A few seconds later, her eyes fluttered, but didn't open.

She began to gasp for air while curling onto her side.

I sighed in relief and happiness.

* * *

**SAKURA POV:**

Fluttering my eyes, I gasped for air like a fish on dry land.

Curling myself into a ball, I felt strong arms hold me.

I rubbed my eyes and stared into Sasuke's angelical face. _I could stare at him all day._

"Sakura," Sasuke said in a dark tone.

I gulped and defended, "It's not what you think, Sasuke."

"Uh huh, sure… you were trying to commit suicide," he said with a hint of anger.

Immediately forgetting his comment, I hugged Sasuke.

"… Sakura, let go," Sasuke said. I shook my head against his chest, tightening my hold on him.

"No, I'm not going to let go. If you want me to then you'll have to make me let go of you," I claimed defiantly.

Sasuke sighed and I relaxed in his presence.

"What am I going to do with you, Sakura? You can't even stay safe in your own room," Sasuke said in a pitying tone.

"Eh, what are you trying to say?" I demanded, letting go of him.

Sasuke smirked at me and said, "See, I just made you let go of me. But I am serious though, you can't even stay safe by yourself in a room."

"Hmph!" I muttered, crossing my arms while snuggling with the blanket.

"I can stay safe. It's not like I meant to do that," I defended.

Sasuke gave me a dumb look and inquired, "So what were you planning to do then?"

I stuck my tongue at him and answered, "I was trying to release my anger."

Sasuke shook his head and his bangs swished against his forehead.

Sighing, I scooted closer to him and joyfully said, "Anyways, I'm still alive. That's the good thing!"

Sasuke turned onto his side and stared at me.

I stayed silent as his hand reached over to touch a few strands of my hair.

He held my pink hair between his index finger and thumb.

"Sasuke," I started. He looked up at me silently.

There was a gap between us even though we were lying close to each other.

I would have moved closer to Sasuke, but I figured that he would probably want his own space right now.

Staring at the bed sheet, I bit the bottom of my lip, thinking to myself.

_Maybe I shouldn't have become his girlfriend? What if he wants to break up now? _

I sighed and sat up, sitting criss crossed.

Positioning my body towards the direction of Sasuke, I hesitantly stated, "Sasuke, let's break up."

Sasuke's eyes widened as he demanded, "Why?"

Feeling the need to put some space between us, I scooted back to the wall.

Leaning against the wall, I covered myself with the blankets.

Setting a pillow in my lap, I looked at Sasuke who was already sitting up looking bewildered.

"…Well, this is what I meant last night when I said that dating me means that you have to deal with my issues and yes, at times, I may create trouble for myself," I started.

Sasuke didn't reply.

I continued, "And Sasuke, you're already my guardian. You already troubled enough. Being my boyfriend will be even more trouble for you. So I think that it's best for us to break up even though it hasn't even been a day."

Sasuke crossed his arms and questioned, "And why do think that I want to break up with you?"

"Well, you keep telling me to not come near you. How can I do that? You're my boyfriend so isn't it kind of outrageous to tell me that? Of course, I would want to be next to you because you're my boyfriend. And you act like you're really frustrated with being with me," I complained.

Sasuke shook his head and clarified, "No, Sakura. It's not because of that. I didn't want you near me because… well, it's really personal, but the thought of you being near me at the time was very… odd."

"Odd?" I questioned as I shook my head.

"Look Sasuke, you better not be making up excuses," I added.

"You don't believe me, Sakura?" Sasuke said, scooting closer to me.

Not wanting to show him my discomfort of a shirtless Sasuke coming towards me, I stayed calm and stubborn.

"No, I don't believe you. There's got to be another reason why you don't want me being near you, Sasuke," I explained. _What is he doing?_

Sasuke wrapped his arms around me as I leaned even more onto the wall.

"…Sasuke, you're sitting on me," I stated uncomfortably as he straddled me with his legs.

"This should prevent you from running away from me," Sasuke stated.

I stared at Sasuke mesmerized as he gently put his forehead on my forehead.

Moving his hands to my shoulder, Sasuke stared at me and said, "Sakura, you are indeed a very stubborn girl."

His lips were hovering over mine.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"You always find a way to get your way. You wanted to know my reason for not wanting you near me?" Sasuke asked with his hands cupping my face.

I nodded and Sasuke sighed.

"It's just _REALLY_ hard for me to focus with you being around me like this morning," Sasuke stated.

"I'm not sure what you're trying to say, Sasuke," I said.

Sighing, he rephrased, "Sakura, this morning you walked out of the shower in a practically see through shirt that exposed your black bra. Plus, you were wearing mid-thigh shorts."

"Hey, that wasn't intentional. It's not like I meant for the shirt to go transparent on me," I defended quickly, trying to push back my blush.

Sasuke stroked my cheek and muttered, "I know, Sakura. It's just that it's really hard for me to not… want you."

I stared at Sasuke's close face.

"I was making Uchiha Sasuke feel extremely uncomfortable?" I restated happily.

Sasuke nodded, turning to look away from me.

I smiled and whispered, "So you didn't want to break up with me?"

Sasuke immediately turned to look at me and answered, "I told you that it wasn't like that, Sakura. Don't go thinking crazy things by yourself."

I smiled and said, "Ah." _Sasuke is so starting to influence my vocab skills. _

Wrapping my arms around Sasuke's neck, I gave him a light and unexpected kiss.

Sasuke looked at me confused. I smiled in response.

"So, anyways, we should find a way to compromise because you without a shirt is really tempting, too," I stated.

Sasuke smirked and said, "I guess, we'll just have to get used to it then."

I shook my head and playfully pushed him off of me. He fell onto the bed, lying on his back.

Standing up, I started to walk off the bed to get a cup of water.

I barely passed Sasuke as he pulled me into his embrace.

"Sasuke, what are you doing?" I asked as he leaned in.

Kissing me, I shut up.

Sasuke's lips against my lips made me feel twisty and hungry for more of him.

My hands raced over his well defined arms.

Leaving one hand on his shoulder, I placed my other hand on his neck.

I could feel his pulse speeding away.

I smiled against Sasuke's lips. And he tightened his arms around my waist, pulling himself closer to me.

Removing his lips from mine, he began to kiss my jaw and move down to my neck.

Panting for air from the passionate kiss, I moved my hand into his hair.

His dark hair was soft and silky.

Sasuke began to trail short pecks of kisses on my collar bone.

"Sasuke," I whined, gripping onto his bare back.

_Damn, you should have worn a shirt, Sasuke._

Sasuke quickly began kissing my lips as I squirmed beneath him.

My back arched towards Sasuke, desiring for his burning touch.

"Sasuke," I began as he kissed me again.

"This isn't," I quickly said as he pulled a kiss.

"Fair," I completed after the kiss.

I wrapped my arms around his body, pushing back the urge to do more.

Sasuke smirked and rolled off of me. I stared at his chest while he panted for air.

It went up and down rapidly just like mine.

I rolled on top of Sasuke and wrapped my arms around his neck.

Laying my head on his chest, I listened to his heart beat.

"Sasuke, relax. I'm not going to bite," I teased, looking up at Sasuke through my eyelashes.

Sasuke smirked as I stood on my knees, straddling his sides.

Running a finger on his chest, I praised, "Wow, you're pretty sturdy."

I was staring at his extremely mesmerizing abs until Sasuke interrupted me with a fake cough.

"You know Sasuke, I think you just found your rival," I said, pointing at his abs as Sasuke shook his head.

"Just kidding, Sasuke," I said, lying on top of him again.

One of my hands snaked into his hair as I kissed Sasuke.

I felt Sasuke's hand hold the back of my head, pushing me even closer to his face.

I moved my other hand into Sasuke's hair as he rolled on top of me.

"Mmmm…" I groaned as we transitioned without breaking the kiss.

Wrapping my legs around Sasuke's waist, I put my hands on his chest.

Sasuke's weight crushed me as the make out session began to tense up with passion and desire.

"Sasuke," I said, wanting even more.

Sasuke smiled against my lips and his hands began to gradually touch the hem of my shirt.

Sasuke stopped kissing me and lay on top of me.

His mouth was by my ear and he said, "Sakura, I'm not going to proceed any further."

"I know," I said, touching his cheeks.

"Oh, and by the way Naruto called earlier to say that they couldn't make it today," Sasuke said.

"I completely forgot about the training session today," I said.

"You're lucky that I'm your guardian as well as your boyfriend. What would you do without me, Sakura?" Sasuke teased.

* * *

**Stay Tuned for Another Chapter of... **

**"Welcome to the Enhanced World"**


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30: Training Turns into Real Battle!

* * *

Please R&R :)

_Thoughts- Italics_

**Bold- Inner**

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: NARUTO DOES NOT BELONG TO ME!**

* * *

**Sakura POV:**

"Sakura, wake up. We have training today," a masculine voice said.

Feeling something lightly tap me, I opened my eyes to see Sasuke staring at me.

_What a pleasant sight. Sigh. _

"I forgot we had training today," I whined as I headed to the bathroom.

_I wonder why Naruto and the others cancelled the training session yesterday? _

Walking out of the bathroom in black cargo capris and a loose non-transparent white shirt, I quickly got on my black converse.

Sasuke was waiting in the kitchen.

As we headed down the stairs, Sasuke stated, "We're going to the training grounds."

"And where is that?" I asked, checking my pockets for my black gloves.

"Follow me," Sasuke replied as I frowned at his small answer.

When we arrived at the training grounds, there were three wooden posts in the center.

Naruto was standing on the middle wooden post, waving at us with a big smile plastered on his face.

I gave him a small wave as Sasuke quietly shook his head.

"Okay, now that everybody's here we can start training," Naruto exclaimed, staring at me.

"So Sakura-Chan, do you have any skills in combat?" Naruto interrogated.

Thinking, I responded, "Uh…um, yeah?" _My monster punches, I think that counts._

* * *

Shikamaru shaking his head at Naruto, said, "How about we start from the basics first, Sakura?" I nodded, feeling that we were starting to get somewhere now.

_No offense to Naruto, but with him asking the questions, I was wondering if we'd ever get anywhere. _

"So do you know how to control your Chakra?" Shikamaru asked.

"Yeah," I answered. And so the lines of question came along and I answered.

"Shikamaru, let's get to some action! Time to train! Sakura already knows how to do all the basic stuff that you learn in Academy; let's fight," Kiba ordered with his dog barking along.

"Come on Sakura-chan, let's see how strong you are!" Naruto prepped as we began to train.

I looked nervously at the blonde ninja. _I don't want to smash him. Why did they put me up against Naruto?_

"Sure," I mumbled as Naruto scowled at me.

"Sakura, you better take this seriously!" Naruto scolded. I looked at Naruto and sighed.

He threw a punch at me. I dodged and questioned, "Are you taking this seriously?"

Feeling his chakra presence behind me, I quickly moved out of the way.

"He made a clone already?" I muttered under my breath while dodging the flying shurikens.

Naruto's clone charged at me as I flipped over the other clone, kicking it in the back towards the running clone.

POOF! The two clones disappeared as thousands of clones came pouring from the sky.

"I see why he's known for clones now," I said quietly.

Surrounded by thousands of Naruto, I began to fight my way through.

One kick, POOF! Another kick, POOF!

One punch, POOF! Another punch, POOF… POOF, POOF, POOF!

After all of those poofs, one Naruto was left.

Patting my sides, I remembered that I did not even own a single weapon.

_That means no long range combat. _

I swiftly kicked the clone in the stomach and it poofed away.

I looked around for Naruto, bored of playing 'Punch the Clones.'

Sensing Naruto's presence behind a tree, I molded my chakra into my fist and punched the tree.

Several of the trees fell down as Naruto scrambled out from the trees.

In a flash, Naruto was in front of me.

Trying to kick me, I caught his foot and launched a punch into his stomach.

Naruto rapidly got out of my hold and landed on the floor skillfully.

"You're not bad, Sakura-chan," Naruto praised as I gave a small smile.

Suddenly, I was pulled into the ground as the new clone smashed its way out of the ground.

"Crap," I stated.

* * *

**Naruto POV:**

"Crap," Sakura-chan said. Her head was barely above the ground.

I looked at Teme and the others who were at a good distance from us.

Ino looked worried along with Hinata.

I smiled at Hinata and said to Sakura, "I finally caught you."

Sakura smiled at me from the ground as someone said, "No, I finally caught you."

I turned around to see three more Sakura.

Hearing a poof, I knew that the Sakura in the ground was a clone.

Fighting the Sakuras, I tried to dodge their punches that were locked with chakra.

One punch and I would be seriously injured.

I caught one clone's punch but another clone aimed a kick at me, leaving me no choice but to retreat.

As I jumped back, they quickly and smoothly advanced.

The Sakuras were lined up. One would launch a punch at me while the other went for a kick. Catching onto the rhythm, I caught one Sakura by the wrist and swung her into the other Sakura.

Forgetting about the last clone for a second, the last clone slid onto the ground. Her hands grazed past my legs as I defeated her.

* * *

**Sakura POV:**

"Sakura-Chan! You can come out now!" Naruto yelled, happily.

In a flash, I appeared behind Naruto and took a kunai out of his weapon pouch.

Placing it lightly to his neck, I stated, "I win."

Shikamaru and the others had moved closer to see the battle.

Naruto tried to move and asked, "Sakura-chan, what did you do to me?"

Moving away from Naruto, I twirled the kunai as I informed, "I paralyzed you. You move too much."

"Eh? When? How?" Naruto asked as Shikamaru and the others closed in on us.

They took a good look at Naruto and Ino asked, "Wow, he's not even budging. How did you manage to pull this off?"

Putting the kunai back into Naruto's pouch, I explained, "When Naruto caught the two first clones, the last clone slid on the ground to paralyze him."

"The two clones acted as a decoy," Shikamaru phrased. I gave him a small smile.

Pouring chakra into my hands, I quickly un-paralyzed Naruto who stretched like crazy.

"Okay, next up… Kiba vs. Sakura!" Naruto proclaimed. Sasuke replied, "Dobe, he left a long time ago; the Hokage called for him."

"Really? I didn't even see him leave," Naruto pondered aloud.

Shikamaru claimed, "Well from watching this battle, I think Sakura is pretty good when it comes to hand-to-hand combat on land. How about we practice fighting on water?"

We walked to a river as I trailed behind the others. Sasuke slowed down and walked next to me.

Suddenly, the others stopped walking and were on alert.

"Someone's here," Sasuke stated. There was someone here.

We walked to the river and Kiba was waiting there.

"Oi, Kiba what are you doing here? Didn't the Hokage call for you a while ago?" Naruto demanded.

"She told me to help you guys out," Kiba stated, staring at me and continued, "I want to fight Sakura."

Shikamaru and the others turned to look at me.

I shrugged and said, "Whatever works."

Kiba smirked as Naruto advised, "Don't underestimate her, Kiba."

"Oh, I won't, Naruto," Kiba sneered.

Naruto scowled at Kiba and muttered, "You can be such a cocky brat sometimes, you know?" Kiba just brushed the comment away and stepped onto the water.

Taking a step, I felt something jolt through my body. A cold breeze blew past me.

Instantly, I put a hand on my arm to suppress the weird feeling as I stared at Kiba.

Walking on top of the water, I stopped to stare at Kiba. _Something's odd. Doesn't he have a dog? _

"Oi, where's your dog?" I asked as Kiba charged towards me.

Flexing my gloved fingers, I slammed my fist into the waters.

The water became gigantic waves as I smoothly made my way to Kiba and smashed him in the chest with a harsh kick.

He flew back some meters and crash-landed on the far end of the river.

"Ne, Sakura-chan, aren't you being a bit too rough?" Naruto asked with his hands up.

Kiba slowly got up and smirked at me from a far distance.

"What's his problem?" I muttered out loud. Neji nodded along with me as TenTen sighed.

"Kiba can be a bit cocky at times, Sakura-chan," Hinata chimed softly.

Kiba said something but since he was quite far from us, I couldn't hear him.

He came at me with such speed that I barely dodged his punch. _Kind of like a wild dog? _

Quickly retreating as I tucked my ponytail into the back of my shirt, I caught Kiba's kick and sent him flying into a tree.

Kiba spit out some blood as I stood alert and on guard.

He stood back up and smiled at me. It wasn't those happy smiles. It was more like a sly smile.

Suspicious, I was about to perform a jutsu but Kiba threw Shurikens at me which multiplied into even more shurikens. I replaced myself with a log as I sent a chakra-filled punch at Kiba.

Caught off guard, Kiba flew back to the other side of the river like last time.

"S-s-s-sakura, I think you're going a bit overboard," Ino claimed, scared of why I was beating Kiba so harshly.

Kiba quickly cloned two more of himself.

The two clones sprinted towards me with an incredible speed.

As I quickly got rid of the clones, the real Kiba was performing a jutsu.

"What…" I started, but was unable to finish because he had summoned a dragon made of water.

"That's not Kiba. Kiba can't do water jutsus," Naruto said.

The dragon divided into two dragons with the same body though.

One dragon headed for the others and the other dragon dove straight for me.

Hurriedly, I summoned a dragon but I knew that his dragon would overpower mine.

Whoever had summoned that dragon was definitely not Kiba. Kiba usually has his dog with him and he shouldn't be able to do water jutsus from what I heard.

Holding my arms out to brace myself from the impact, I stood still as the water was wavy and distorted. The impact from the two dragons' collision was tremendous. The water jumped out of the river when they collided.

I couldn't hear Ino and the others. The imposter cloned one more clone.

I fought the clone as the imposter performed a series of seals.

Sasuke and Naruto and Shikamaru and Neji had already jumped into the battle; they were fighting more clones of the imposter as I fought one. Hinata, Ino and TenTen were fighting separate clones, too.

"Ha! Take this," Ino yelled as she threw a shuriken.

TenTen was taking down a lot of the clones with her abilities.

_Aren't weapons handy…at times like this? _

Clone after clone, I punched and kicked and sent them crashing into each other.

All I could hear was POOF!

Sensing the real imposter and not some phony baloney clone, I turned around and punched him.

He quickly dodged and retreated a bit.

"Who are you?" I demanded.

Smirking, the imposter replied, "Maybe this will help you remember?"

The face that looked like Kiba began to peel off and it was the man from the night when I first came to the Ninja World.

"You…What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Obviously, I'm escaping," he stated.

"You're from the Sound Village?" I inquired as he turned to leave holding his headband tightly.

Without thinking, I held my hands up and controlled the water.

I made it wrap around the man as the others ran to assist me.

Shikamaru used his shadow technique to stop the man as I released the water.

The others were already on land while I was standing on the water.

Shikamaru turned and the man turned; they were facing each other.

"You can't kill me," the man claimed, "Because I'm just a clone."

From the corner of his eyes, he was staring at me.

"He wants you, you know that right?" the man said.

I stared back at him silently confused.

"He is coming for you," the imposter re-informed.

Sasuke threw a kunai at the man and POOF! He really was a clone.

* * *

**Stay Tuned for Another Chapter of...**

**"Welcome to the Enhanced World"**

* * *

***** Author's Note: **

**Thanks for waiting! I've finally made a chapter. Hopefully, you all like it! **

**I plan to update soon…so stay updated :) **


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31: Imposter's Mystery Man is…

* * *

Please R&R :)

_Thoughts- Italics_

**Bold- Inner**

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: NARUTO DOES NOT BELONG TO ME!**

* * *

**Sakura POV:**

Sasuke threw a kunai at the man. And he disappeared, proving that he was a clone.

Staying quiet, I turned and walked away. I could hear Sasuke's footsteps behind me.

Naruto ran up and walked next to me with the others as Sasuke appeared by my side.

Staring at the ground as I walked silently, I thought to myself about the man's comments.

_What did he mean? Who's after me? It has to be someone from the Sound Village because the imposter was also from the Sound village! _

"Sakura-chan, don't worry! We'll help you," Naruto cheered. I smiled at him.

"Yeah, I got your back, forehead!" Ino happily said. "Thanks, pig," I retorted, with a smile.

TenTen and Hinata laughed together.

"We got Shikamaru here with the brains so it shouldn't be too difficult," Naruto stated, holding his hands in the air.

We were leaving the training grounds and Shizune came running up the path.

"Oh, thank goodness, Sakura, you're alright!" Shizune sighed in relief, clutching her pig.

"What's the matter, Shizune-san?" Shikamaru asked.

Continuing to walk back to the village, Shizune explained, "Well, the man that was from the Sound village had escaped. Tsunade-sama was really worried for Sakura, knowing that Sakura was training today."

"How did Tsunade know that I was training today?" I asked, curious.

"Oh, we were talking to her yesterday about your past training sessions," TenTen said apologetically.

"That's fine," I replied.

Entering Tsunade's office, Tsunade demanded, "Sakura, are you okay? I heard about the incident."

"Wow, news travels fast here, huh?" I muttered to myself.

Clearing my throat, I honestly replied, "I think I'm fine."

Naruto and the others informed Tsunade about the incident.

At the end, Tsunade said, "Kiba? Kiba was with me the whole time. I knew that man was up to no good. How did he escape though? Don't we have a 24 hour guarding system?"

"Most importantly, who is after Sakura?" Sasuke inquired, speaking for the first time.

"Sasuke's right. There was the man from the Uchiha's Compound and now there's the imposter's mystery person," Shikamaru confidently stated.

"How do you know that it's two separate people and not just one same person?" Neji asked with his arms crossed.

"They can't be the same person. It wouldn't make sense with the timing. The attacks on Sakura happened at different time periods. I think the imposter was trying to tell us something," Shikamaru concluded, sitting in a chair with his hands in his special thinking position.

"More like he was trying to tell Sakura something," Ino added, a finger on her chin.

"…That's right. When he said this, he was mainly talking to Sakura-chan," Hinata commented.

They turned to stare at me.

Suddenly feeling uncomfortable in my chair, I sat straighter and answered, "Honestly, I'm not sure who the imposter was talking about."

Silence filled the room as well as tension about what to do next.

"Well, this is all I can suggest. Sasuke stay with Sakura at all times. Sakura no more training for now," Tsunade commanded. I nodded my head.

* * *

Sasuke and I left the office. The rest of the group decided to stay at the office.

"Sasuke…what do you think?" I asked, turning to look at him.

Gazing at me, he responded, "Everything's going to be alright, Sakura."

Feeling his strong but gentle hands in my hands, I felt secure.

"Thanks, Sasuke," I mumbled as we made our way to the apartment.

Halfway to the apartment, Karin popped out of nowhere. She was leaning on a cement wall with her arms crossed.

"Sasuke," she purred. He made no show of emotion as we continued to walk away from her.

"Haruno Sakura, you better watch your back," Karin warned in a low tone.

As Sasuke unlocked the door, his shirt shifted and I could see the curse seal mark.

"Sasuke," I started. He turned to look at me.

I walked inside as Sasuke shut the door.

Sitting on the table, I asked, "Sasuke, what's that seal on your neck?"

He turned to look at me with his back to the door.

"This…" Sasuke began, but stopped as he touched his neck.

"I got this from the Chunin exams when I was a rookie," he finished.

"Who did you get it from?" I asked, although I already knew who he got it from.

Sasuke began to walk to the bedroom and I followed.

"I know who it is. I know that it was Orochimaru who gave you the curse seal," I stated.

Sasuke turned to look at me, confused that I knew.

Sighing, I explained, "Look, I met the guy when I was a kid. As much as I wish that I didn't ever meet him, he tried to persuade me with power and fulfilling my desires and needs."

Sasuke walked back to me and wrapped his arms around me.

Sasuke clarified, "I'm sorry. I would've told you about it but it's just so…"

Shaking my head against his chest, I replied, "No, I understand. I should have told you this, but I didn't."

I stared up at Sasuke and he looked at me.

Silence filled the awkward moment.

Removing myself from Sasuke's embrace, I stepped back and claimed, "Sasuke, I know that it's Orochimaru. He's the one who is after me."

I was leaning on the wall, staring at the wooden floor.

"Sakura," Sasuke started but paused for a moment and continued, "How do you know that?"

I looked up at Sasuke who was strong and made me feel secure. But right now, I was feeling really insecure and vulnerable.

Sasuke stared at the wall and looked back at me, determined.

Grabbing my hand tightly, Sasuke ordered, "We're going back to Tsunade."

Closing the apartment door, Sasuke yanked my hand and I landed on his back.

"Hold on tight, Sakura," he warned.

"Do we really have to travel this way?" I asked and continued, "Can't I jump with you? You don't have to carry me.''

Sasuke was already jumping on the roofs. I laid my head on Sasuke's back, tightening my arms around his neck.

Shutting my eyes, I suddenly remembered Orochimaru's eyes. His eyes were coal-black with a yellow colored slit in the center.

Quickly, I forced open my eyes. Shaking my head, I could already see the Hokage's headquarters (office).

Sasuke and I headed towards Tsunade's office.

Sasuke opened the door as I entered only to find that everybody else was here.

Naruto and the others were still there but the parents had also come too.

"Perfect timing, little brother," Itachi commented. Sasuke turned to look at him, clearly confused like me.

I stared at Tsunade who was staring at me already.

"Have you guys concluded anything?" Tsunade asked, folding her hands together on top of the desk.

Before Sasuke could say anything, I answered, "Yes, I know who it is."

Everyone turned to stare at me; I could feel their curious stares penetrating.

Taking a small and quiet breath, I explained, "The imposter's mystery man is Orochimaru."

Tsunade's composed face fell as a face of confusion and anger replaced it.

Before anyone could question me, Shikamaru sided, "Sakura's probably right. From what we have heard, Orochimaru is hiding in the Sound village. The imposter was also from the Sound Village."

Naruto was nodding his head in agreement and said, "Shikamaru's right. If it's Orochimaru, then we have to be prepared."

Hinata agreed as Ino commented, "We'll have to be even more alert since we're holding the Chunin exams this year." _Chunin exams? _

Tsunade looked at Sasuke and I. Sighing, Tsunade said, "Indeed, we'll have to be even more careful. And this is why I will be giving you all new missions."

"A mission?" Naruto exclaimed, happy.

"The mission is simple to say, but difficult to complete successfully. You all will have to be alert during the Chunin Exams," Tsunade said and continued, "especially, since it is two days from now. We will be having the Kages coming along with many ninjas who are taking the exam. I would like it if we could keep this year's Chunin Exam peaceful; but, do what you have to do to prevent chaos from erupting, got it?"

Nodding their heads, everyone filed out. I stayed behind to talk with Tsunade.

"Tsunade," I started.

She turned her chair to look at me and said, "This is going to be difficult, Sakura. Now that Sasuke's your guardian, Orochimaru will have a better reason to target you."

"I know," I said, slumping into the nearest chair.

"Don't worry, Sakura. We'll solve it piece by piece," Tsunade soothed.

I stared at Tsunade for a while and inquired, "Why were you so angry when I told you that it was Orochimaru?"

Tsunade replied, "Sakura, you've missed out on a lot. The last year's Chunin exam was held in the Sand village. A few years ago, when you were probably twelve or thirteen, the Chunin exam was held in Konoha. That time period was full of chaos for Konoha."

"What do you mean?" I asked, interested.

"Orochimaru attacked Konoha that year. Many were injured and some died. Konoha was a wreck. Homes were destroyed. It was just crazy," Tsunade ended.

"Weren't you the Hokage?" I questioned.

Tsunade's expression was dark for a minute but she quickly reposed herself.

"No, I wasn't the Hokage at the time. It was the third Hokage, Sakura," Tsunade replied.

"Oh," I commented. _That was her teacher…from what I can remember. _

"He was one of the Konoha ninjas that died," Tsunade said as she turned her chair to look out the window.

With her back to me, Tsunade continued, "He died fighting one of his own students, Orochimaru. The Third managed to seal Orochimaru's arms to his hands."

I sat quietly as Tsunade thought to herself.

"He died for his village. A true ninja," Tsunade softly said.

Feeling that she might want to be alone, I excused, "Well, Sasuke's waiting for me. I should get going, Tsunade-sama."

"Be safe, Sakura," Tsunade advised as I shut the door.

* * *

Exhaling, I walked down the hallway and Sasuke appeared by my side.

Giving him a small smile, Sasuke asked, "You're fine, right?"

"Yeah," I said as I stuffed my hands into my pockets and continued, "I'm good."

As we walked out of the headquarters and onto the streets, I turned to Sasuke and asked, "Ne, Sasuke, what should we eat for dinner?"

"You're thinking about dinner?" Sasuke rephrased, incredulously. I nodded my head with glee.

Sasuke softly teased, "Hmm… I don't know. What should I eat for dinner?"

Lightly punching his arm, I demanded, "Oi, you better not forget about me!"

Sasuke gave me his famous smirks and I stuck my tongue at him like a child would.

But on the inside, my heart was beating rapidly.

"Let's get going, Sakura," Sasuke said, taking my hand as we walked home.

When we got to the apartment, I took a shower as Sasuke started to cook.

Done with showering, I tip-toed into the kitchen quietly and walked next to Sasuke.

"Boo!" I proclaimed. Sasuke didn't even budge. He turned to look at me with a bored expression.

"Sasuke!" I whined, pouting and said, "You're no fun."

Stirring the pot, Sasuke asked, "I'm not fun enough for you?"

He shut the stove off and prepared the food. I grabbed a pair of plates and eating utensils and set them on the table.

"Yes, you are not fun enough for me," I restated teasingly, crossing my arms.

Sasuke set the food on the table in the center. He was standing across from me.

Making his way around the table, Sasuke sat down as I stood still.

"Sakura, sit down so we can actually eat," Sasuke ordered.

"No, make me," I defied, stubborn as a mule.

Sasuke shifted his body to look at me and asked, "You're not hungry anymore?"

I stared at the warm and fresh meal and back at the relaxed Sasuke. He smirked.

_Stay determined, Sakura. Don't fall for the trick. _

"Nope, I'm not hungry anymore," I said, unfolding my arms. My arms fell to my side.

Sighing, Sasuke scooted his chair back from me as I turned my head to look the other way.

"Sakura," Sasuke warned. I made no movements.

"What do you want to eat, Sakura?" Sasuke asked. No response.

"Fine, then. Don't say that I didn't warn you," Sasuke exclaimed, yanking my hand with force.

Not expecting him to use force, I fell onto his lap. Sasuke quickly wrapped his arms around my waist, not letting me escape.

"Stop moving so much, Sakura. I'm starting to lose my appetite for the food," Sasuke informed.

"Really?" I said, turning around to look at Sasuke. Sitting on his laps, I stared at Sasuke.

"You know you're going to have to eat. I can't have you starving. Then, everyone else will think that I'm a bad guardian," Sasuke commented.

"Hmph!" I said, turning back around to stare at the food.

"Actually, I think I am hungry," I stated, staring at the inviting food.

"Really?" Sasuke whispered into my ear. I turned to see his face close to mine.

His lips were so close to mine.

Still sitting on his lap, Sasuke leaned closer to kiss me.

I shifted my body in his direction, letting my feet dangle on the floor.

Locking my arms around his neck, Sasuke kissed me.

It was a sweet kiss at first. And then, it got deeper.

"Mmm…Sasuke," I said, moving my hands up his silky hair.

I could feel his hands on my back as he continued the kiss.

Sasuke's hands gradually travelled down to my dangling legs.

Opening my eyes, I asked, "Uh, Sasuke, what are you doing?"

Sasuke shifted closer to me as he began to wrap my legs around his waist.

Cooperating with him, I scooted closer as I wrapped my legs around him.

I was facing Sasuke with my back to the table.

"Did you gain your appetite, Sasuke?" I questioned, linking my hands around his neck.

Smirking, Sasuke replied, "Yeah, I just did." He kissed me as I gripped his shoulders tighter.

Breaking the amazing kiss, I suggested, "I think, we should start eating, Sasuke. The food's going to get cold."

Sasuke smiled at me and agreed, "I guess, we should."

I was going to get off his lap but Sasuke held me tightly.

"Where do you think you're going, Sakura?" Sasuke teased.

"I'm going to sit in my own chair," I said as I turned back to look at the food.

"You're going to have to feed me. I'm too tired to feed myself, Sakura," Sasuke complained.

"….Fine, Sasuke, but don't say that I didn't warn you," I warned in a grave tone.

Sasuke smirked and retorted, "Then let the feeding games begin."

* * *

**Stay Tuned for Another Chapter of...**

**"Welcome to the Enhanced World"**

* * *

**Author's Note: **

**How did you like the chapter?**

** Sorry if it's a bit boring right now!**

** But Stay Tuned... Because The Chunin Exams are heading your way! Along with the Kages and Ninjas from other villages :) **


	32. Chapter 32

* Chapter 32: Broken Nose. One-sided Love…. And a plan, but whose plan is it?

* * *

Please R&R :)

_Thoughts- Italics_

**Bold- Inner**

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: NARUTO DOES NOT BELONG TO ME!**

* * *

**FYI: TWO DAYS PASSED**

* * *

**Sakura POV:**

"Today is the first day of the Chunin Exams!" Naruto exclaimed, with fists held high in the air.

"Naruto," Hinata warned, trying to calm Naruto down. People were staring at our group like we were crazy.

"Ah, I can remember the first time we all took our Chunin exams," Naruto reminisced, smiling to himself.

"Stupid Dobe," Sasuke commented, shaking his head. I was utterly confused.

"Um, what are the Chunin Exams?" I asked.

Ino turned to look at me and clarified, "It's basically a series of tests that you go through to move up a rank. Genins take it."

"Oh, I understand now," I said, turning to look at Sasuke. _That must have been when Sasuke got the cursed seal mark. _

"Fight me, Naruto!" a squeaky voice challenged. I looked around to see a young teenage boy with a long pale blue scarf.

"Sorry, Konohamaru, but I'm on a mission right now… how about later? Besides, you have to keep your energy for the Chunin exams," Naruto reasoned. Hinata nodded in agreement.

"Oi, where's your teammates?" Ino declared.

Suddenly, smoke bombs were thrown into the air as the two friends introduced themselves.

"Um," I stated, unfazed. _Okay, that was weird. _

The three kids turned to look at me. There was a boy with glasses and a runny nose and a girl.

"Oi, Naruto-", Konohamaru said but was interrupted by Naruto demanding, "- You have to call me Naruto- SAMA! Remember the bet you lost last month?"

The kid's head hung in shame and defeat while remembering the bet. Quickly recomposing himself, Konohamaru asked, "Who's this pink-haired babe?"

He winked at me and before Sasuke could hurt him, Naruto hit the boy on the head.

"Stupid, don't say that unless you want to get killed by Teme!" Naruto proclaimed, looking back at Sasuke. The kid was clutching his head in pain and in fear from Sasuke.

I turned to look at Sasuke. He was touching the hilt of his katana.

Feeling the tense and dangerous atmosphere, I gently put a hand on Sasuke's arm. He turned to look at me as I gave him a 'please-calm-down' look.

Sighing, Sasuke said, "Hn." He turned to look away from the three kids who were hugging each other, scared to death.

Naruto sighed in relief while muttering, "Thank you, Sakura-chan." I smiled back at the relieved blonde ninja.

The atmosphere softened as we continued our way to the Hokage's office.

I looked at Sasuke, who was still fuming from the incident. Taking Sasuke's hand, I pinched his cheeks playfully.

* * *

We turned a sharp corner with the kids leading.

"Watch where you're going next time, Baka!" Konohamaru claimed, getting up from the ground. When Konohamaru looked at who he had bumped into, he quickly apologized, "Oh, sorry."

"Huh? It's you again, you little brat," a sand ninja said with purple marks on his face.

"Oi, pipsqueak, watch who you're talking to," a blonde ninja with blonde spiky pig tails ordered in a lazy tone. She was carrying a big fan.

"Be more careful next time," a guy with red hair responded, carrying a gourd. He was staring at Sasuke.

"Yo, Gaara, long time no see," Naruto happily exclaimed. The red-head guy turned to look at Naruto and responded, "It's good to see you, Naruto."

They looked like they had a strong bond. The two continued to talk as we waited.

Staring at Gaara, I felt like I saw him somewhere before. I felt a warm feeling from the blue crystal hanging around my neck. My necklace was tucked safely underneath my shirt. Fighting the urge to touch it, I kept my hands glued at my sides.

"Sasuke," I whispered softly, only so that Sasuke could hear me. Sasuke turned to look at me, concerned.

Changing my mind, I said, "Never mind, I'll tell you later." Sasuke gave me a disapproving look. I smiled at him as he turned to look at the others again.

"And who would this be?" the guy with purple tattoos asked, curiously.

"This is Haruno Sakura," Shikamaru answered. I waved a small hello to them.

"Haruno… as in The Haruno?" the blonde girl with the fan restated, unbelievingly.

"Yes, Temari," Shikamaru said in a tired tone with his hands in his pockets.

"Introduce yourselves," Gaara ordered in a soft and suggesting tone.

"I'm Kankuro," he introduced.

"Temari," the girl simply stated.

"I'm Gaara," he introduced. Unsure of what to do, I just nodded.

"So, where are you three headed?" Ino asked, leaning on Shikamaru.

"We're headed to the Hokage's office," Kankuro replied as Gaara began to walk.

"Hey, that's where we're going too," Naruto said as we all walked together.

"Oh, just to let you know, Sakura, Gaara is the Sand village's Kage," Ino said, slowing down to my pace. Sasuke and I were walking at the back of the group.

She must have seen my surprised look. Ino smiled at my speechless response and rushed to Shikamaru's side.

_Wow, he's really young to be the Kage of a village._

Interrupting my thoughts, Naruto chided, "Ha, watch out, Gaara, because I'm going to be the next Hokage!" Gaara slightly chuckled at Naruto's declaration.

"Well, we're at the Hokage's headquarters," Shikamaru lazily stated, giving a simple gesture at the doors.

"We have to get going," Konohamaru said, dragging his friends with him.

* * *

Naruto opened the door quickly and excitedly. We heard a cracking noise.

"Damn, watch it, Naruto," Yahiko warned, clutching his nose. Itatchi was standing next to the injured guy along with the doll-like sand ninja, Sasori.

I met Sasori in the Human World on my way to the Ninja world.

"I'm so sorry, Yahiko!" Naruto loudly apologized, appearing next to Yahiko.

"It's fine, Naruto. Just be more careful next time, okay?" Yahiko advised and continued to feel his nose. "I think it's broken," Yahiko concluded, gently handling his nose.

Walking to Naruto with Sasuke next to me, I offered, "Let me see. I think I can help you."

The orange-haired ninja looked at me, and asked, "Oh, that would be really helpful. Thank you so much."

Shaking my head, I retorted, "No problem."

As I was healing Yahiko's injured nose, the others were conversing with each other.

"Dobe, you need to be more aware of your surroundings," Sasuke warned, with his arms crossed.

Naruto was pouting and muttered, "I know. I'm sorry, Yahiko. I'm really, really, really,-"

"-Okay, Naruto, if you're really sorry like you say you are, then will you please stop saying that you're sorry?" Yahiko compromised, getting off of the bench.

"Yes, sir! Is your nose better now that Sakura-chan healed it?" Naruto asked, sounding like a child.

Yahiko smiled and replied, "Yes and she did a good job on healing my nose in a few minutes."

"It was nothing," I stated, scooting closer to Sasuke. From the corner of my eye, I caught Sasori staring at me.

Sasuke snaked an arm around my waist, noticing the Sasori's stares.

"Oi, Sasuke, you finally got yourself a girl?" Deidara asked, beaming. Ino smiled at me.

"Yeah," Sasuke answered curtly.

"And he doesn't plan on sharing her, right little brother?" Itatchi taunted, walking up to me.

"Sorry, but I don't share," Sasuke warned as he pulled me closer to him.

Itatchi smiled and quietly said, "I'm proud of you, Sasuke."

"Oi, what did Itatchi tell you, Teme?" Naruto demanded, curiously.

"We gotta get going," Yahiko exclaimed as he followed Itatchi. Sasori slowly turned to leave and follow Yahiko as he took his stare off of me.

* * *

Sasuke and I followed the others up the stairs. Everyone entered a room (not the Hokage's office), Sasuke stopped me.

"What did you need to tell me, Sakura?" Sasuke asked.

"Can I tell you later?" I asked and reasoned, "This isn't the right place to tell you."

Sighing, Sasuke nodded and led us to the room.

Quietly entering the big and crowded room, I scanned the place.

There were many Konoha ninjas along with the Kages' guardians and a few other ninjas from different villages.

In the front of the room, the Kages were sitting behind desks. Tsunade was sitting in the middle looking pretty serious.

"Oi, Sakura and Sasuke, over here," Ino whispered, waving at us a little bit.

We walked over to Ino and the others as the conversation began.

Tsunade stood up and informed, "Welcome to the Chunin Exams. As you all know, this year's Chunin Exams are being held in Konoha starting today. Please keep your eyes open and be alert for intruders. I would like to keep this year's Chunin Exam peaceful. And if anyone gets in the way, then you shall be crushed."

Tsunade bitter sweetly said the last sentence as if to threaten someone.

The Kages introduced themselves. I still found it astonishing how Gaara could be so young and take the position of a Kage.

* * *

Exiting the building, we heard a shot being fired.

"Ah, it's beginning already," Shikamaru said, leaving with Ino. They had to go keep watch by the main gates.

"Konohamaru," Naruto softly said, turning to look in the direction of the fired shot.

"He'll be fine, Naruto," Hinata reassured, patting Naruto's shoulder.

Naruto smiled and proudly stated, "You're right. He does take after my skills a bit, heh."

TenTen and Neji left to go Anko's section. The two were serving as backups just for precaution.

"Well, we should get going!" Naruto exclaimed, slinging his arm around Sasuke as Sasuke threw his arm off immediately. Sasuke walked ahead with Naruto walking next to him, pestering Sasuke with comments.

"Let's walk together Hinata," I suggested as Hinata smiled back.

"So, what exactly are we doing?" I asked, my eyes never leaving Sasuke.

"Hmm… Tsunade-sama said that we were just organizing the participants papers for the Chunin exams," Hinata thoughtfully answered.

"Ah, paper work," I stated, still staring at Sasuke.

"You really like Sasuke, don't you Sakura-chan?" Hinata concluded.

Turning to look at Hinata sheepishly, I questioned, "Is it that obvious?"

Shaking her head, Hinata informed, "Actually, the way you and Sasuke act when you're together publically doesn't make it seem like you two are dating. I would have never thought that you and Sasuke were dating unless you told me."

"Then how is it obvious that I like Sasuke?" I said, thinking.

"Well, I don't know about others, but I could tell by the way you look at Sasuke," Hinata reasoned.

"How do you know that?" I inquired, turning to look at Hinata.

She smiled to herself and explained, "Because I guess, I could say I feel that way about Naruto. I can't believe that I'm actually dating him. I'm so afraid that he might disappear any minute."

"I understand you, Hinata. Honestly, I never thought that I would be here in Konoha. I was never interested in anyone friend-wise or love-wise. I have to admit that Sasuke is one of the good things that happened to me since I came back to Konoha along with you guys," I considered out loud.

"Thanks for telling me your thoughts, Sakura-chan," Hinata gently said, staring at me with her lavender eyes.

"You, too," I replied, smiling. _What a nice person to chat with._

* * *

We stopped shortly after Naruto and Sasuke ceased walking.

"Here's the building," Naruto said, checking the address on the paper and the building.

Naruto knocked on the door while we waited.

"Eh, that's funny. Baa-chan said that some people should have already been here," Naruto thought aloud. Lifting his fist, before Naruto could knock on the door, the door opened.

"Hurry up and come in and stop knocking so much," Karin sneered, mainly at Naruto.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm going Karin," Naruto whined with his hands up in the air.

Letting Hinata go before me, Sasuke walked next to me as I entered.

The door slam shut.

"Good! You youthful teenagers have skillfully young and dainty hands! We shall get to work for the Hokage's sake, right?" a man in green spandex cheered.

"Eh? Guy-sensei! What are you doing here?" Naruto asked/half yelled.

"Oh, Naruto-kun, I'm your supervisor for this squad," the man named Guy informed proudly with his hands on his hips.

POOF! A teenage replica of Guy appeared, standing.

"Good afternoon, Guy-sensei. I did what you told me to do; I did eighty sets of one hundred pushups and youthfully ate my lunch!" proclaimed the teenage replica of Guy.

"Oh, not you too, Lee," Naruto said, covering Hinata's eyes. _Ah, so that's what the kids name is. _

I turned to look at Sasuke with a questioning look. He shrugged.

"Oh and this is the beautiful, young and rejuvenating Sakura blossom that I have been hearing about? You are…more than I've been dreaming about! Will you…be mine and only mine, my dear Haruno Sakura?" Lee said, kneeling on his knees with one hand placed dramatically on his chest where his heart his beating. His other hand was extended towards me.

"Uh, sorry, but I-", I began to decline as Sasuke interrupted declaring, "-She's taken. Lee, this is my girlfriend, Haruno Sakura."

I waved awkwardly at him.

Lee was frozen, no like seriously frozen for a few minutes.

Quickly recomposing himself, Lee stood up and proclaimed, "Do not worry, my dear, I will always be waiting in the wing for you. My only love; love is meant to be harsh and prickly but I will use my youthfulness to win your heart!"

Staying quiet, I turned to look at Sasuke. He did not look the least affected by Lee's outburst for my heart. _I guess I shouldn't be worried then. _

"Lee! I'm so proud of you! It doesn't matter if you were rejected, I will always love you my dear student!" Guy exclaimed, hugging Lee.

* * *

"Okay, so let's get to work!" Naruto prodded, switching the subject. _Thank you!_

"So, all you have to do is organize these papers and that's it!" Guy proclaimed, excitedly.

"Papers? That is a piece of cake," Naruto claimed, happily.

"N-Naruto, look," Hinata said softly, pointing ahead of us.

There was a huge room, full of papers.

"Oh my gosh, this is so much! How can we get this done with?" Karin whined.

I almost forgot that Karin was in the same room as us.

"Do not worry, Karin. We will finish this by tonight," Lee confidently stated.

"Get started, my youthful kids," Guy said.

Sasuke and I took one corner of the room and Hinata and Naruto took the corner adjacent to us. Karin and Lee were paired up and took the corner opposite to us.

"Sasuke, we have to organize this alphabetically, right?" I asked.

"Yes, Sakura," he replied, getting back to work.

"Hmm… how about you set the papers based off of the letters and I'll alphabetize them?" I reasoned.

"Good idea, Sakura," Sasuke praised, smiling at me. _He should smile more often. _

Within a few hours, Sasuke and I finished with Naruto/Hinata finishing an hour later.

Naruto, Sasuke, Hinata, and I worked on the third corner while Karin and Lee were arguing.

"Lee, don't set the papers like this! You're going to get them wrinkled!" Karin scolded.

"Poor Lee," I sympathized while Hinata nodded silently. As I got back to work, Naruto sighed and Sasuke paid no attention.

Karin turned to glare at us. She whispered something to Lee who quickly turned to stare at me.

"Sakura, my love, did you call for me?" Lee yelled, running to me.

"Um, sorry, Lee but I didn't call for you," I replied honestly. He instantly stopped and walked back to Karin. _What's that girl up to?_

* * *

"Yay, we finished," I said, slapping my hands together.

"Good work, mates!" Naruto said, giving Hinata a tight hug.

Turning away from them, I walked over to Sasuke who was standing by the window.

"Sasuke, what are you doing?" I queried, leaning to get a good look.

Sasuke smirked at me and replied, "Thinking, why are you so interested?"

"Because I care for you, duh," I retorted, as Sasuke touched my pink hair.

"Due to our awesome youthfulness, we have finished Karin! It was nice working with you," Lee notified.

"Yeah, whatever, Lee," Karin said, brushing away his remark.

* * *

Guy popped out and inquired, "Did you finish?"

"Yes, Guy-sensei, we are finished with the task," Lee answered automatically.

"Good job. It's time for round two then!" Guy said with fists in the air.

"There's more?" Naruto complained.

"Dobe, did you think that was it?" Sasuke retorted. I shook my head in disbelief.

Guy brought in boxes and boxes of papers. "You guys just have to organize these papers based off of the color they have been marked with," Guy explained.

"This is simple," Karin commented, with her hands on her hips.

Working in the same pairs again, we set off to work.

"It's already five p.m. The Preliminary rounds should have begun at four. I wonder how Konohamaru's doing," Naruto pondered, checking his watch.

* * *

We finished at seven p.m.

Guy locked the doors and bid, "Alright, you youthful teenagers did a fantastic job today! Konoha is grateful for your hard work. Stay safe and don't get into fights."

Barely beginning to walk, a guy appeared on the pathway.

"Yo, Sasuke," said a guy with shark-like teeth and silver short hair. He carried a big sword.

"Suigetsu," Sasuke acknowledged, "Where's Juugo?"

"Ah, he didn't want to watch the exam so he didn't come with me," Suigetsu explained.

Naruto stared at the guy and questioned, "Oi, Teme, who's this?"

"A person I met during my training period," Sasuke clarified.

"And you must be the famous Uzumaki Naruto?" he stated.

"Yeah and how do you know me?" Naruto asked, with a finger on his chin.

"People talk about you a lot," Suigetsu stated blandly.

"Hmmm…" Naruto muttered, wrapping an arm around Hinata's waist.

"Well, I should be taking Hinata home now. See tomorrow, Sakura-chan!" Naruto said, waving goodbye.

"Bye, Naruto. You, too, Hinata," I replied.

* * *

"So Sasuke, I heard you're dating?" Suigetsu asked, raising his eyebrows in amusement.

"Yeah," Sasuke said, pulling me close to him.

"Ah and I suppose this would be the young lady?" he claimed, smiling at me.

"Would you care to share, Sasuke?" Suigetsu offered playfully.

"Want to die, Suigetsu?" Sasuke threatened, placing his hand on his Katana.

I stared at Sasuke, hoping that he wouldn't kill the silver-haired guy.

"Whoa, Sasuke's actually into a girl. Interesting," Suigetsu commented.

"And you're still into Karin, I suppose?" Sasuke stated confidently but in a bored tone.

"Aww, man, did you have to say it in front of your girlfriend?" Suigetsu whined.

"Makes no difference," Sasuke reasoned.

"Whatever, so how's she doing?" Suigetsu asked, leaning on a tree.

"I don't know," Sasuke answered.

"That's what you said the last time, I saw you which was two years ago?" Suigetsu accused.

"Why don't you tell her that you like her?" I questioned.

He turned to stare at me and stated, "She has someone else in her heart."

"Be persistent, eventually she'll come to realize that you love her, Suigetsu," I advised.

_The poor guy, hopefully, Karin will recognize his love for her. A one-sided love, but someday it will be a well balanced love. _

"… I guess, it couldn't hurt to try," Suigetsu mumbled, he looked at Sasuke and said, "You got yourself a good girlfriend, I'll tell you that, Sasuke."

"Thanks, Suigetsu," Sasuke answered. Suigetsu turned to leave.

"Let's go home, Sakura," Sasuke suggested.

"Yep," I agreed, taking his hand joyfully. _I hope that I will never lose you, Sasuke._

* * *

**NORMAL POV: **

A man was sitting on a cement chair in a dim-lighted room.

Besides his most trusted and loyal servant, there was someone else in the dark room.

"We will attack on thisss day, remember this. And if you fail to go accordingly to the plan, then I will hunt you down and kill you. It doesn't matter if you go hide in Konoha. I will get you, do you understand?"

"Yes, master, I…I will not fail," promised a hesitant and scared girl.

"Remember this talk. Leave and bring Haruno Sssakura back to me," ordered the man.

* * *

***Just who is this man sitting in the dark room? His loyal servant? And who is the scared girl?**

* * *

**Stay Tuned for Another Chapter of…**

"**Welcome to the Enhanced World"**

* * *

*******Author's Notes:**

**So what did you think about this chapter?**


	33. Chapter 33

* Chapter 33: Love and the troubles that come along with it…

* * *

Please R&R :)

_Thoughts- Italics_

**Bold- Inner**

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: Naruto does NOT belong to me**

* * *

**Normal POV:**

"Wow, that Konohamaru kid really is something!" A man praised loudly, exiting the arena with groups of friends.

"Yeah, he's good too and so is the other kid from the Sand village," another guy added.

"I didn't even think that the cute brunette girl was capable of that. Man, she fought really well. Hey, I heard that she was even trained by the Sand village's Kage," one man commented in a hushed whisper.

"Nah, that can't be true," another man claimed. The group of men walked together, talking about the final round and the winners.

Meanwhile, Naruto and the others were sitting in a barbeque shop.

"Wow, I can't believe that the Chunin Exams are finally over!" Naruto exclaimed stretching as the group of friends waited for the meat to cook.

"Hmmm… I agree with you… barbeque fried beef! My favorite," claimed Choji, rubbing his stomach in hunger and anticipation.

Shikamaru laughed at his best friend's action. "What, Shikamaru?" Choji asked, staring at the lazy guy.

"Nothing, Choji," Shikamaru replied. Ino flipped the beef, testing to see if the meat was ready to eat.

"Alrighty, the fist piece goes to you, Konoha-" Ino began but quickly scolded, "Oi, Choji! That was supposed to be for Konohamaru!"

Too late, Choji had already eaten the first piece. "Sorry, Ino," he apologized, still staring at the food.

Ino sighed as Konohamaru defined, "Uh, that's okay. I gotta get going. I have to go meet up with some friends. Bye!"

As he left running out of the shop, Naruto sniffled a bit and pondered, "I raised him up well, didn't I? He's getting quite popular."

"Yes, you did Naruto even teaching Konohamaru the sexy-no-jutsu!" Ino scolded, holding the metal tongs in the air. Naruto looked away embarrassed as Hinata tried to soothe Naruto.

"Hmm… I wonder what's taking Sakura and Sasuke so long to get here?" TenTen wondered out loud.

"Teme's always taking his sweet time when it comes to events like this! I bet Sakura-chan is trying to persuade him to come," Naruto accused, getting all fed up.

* * *

**Sasuke POV: **

Waking up, I turned to stare at Sakura who was still sleeping.

"Hn, how long can this girl sleep?" I thought out loud.

Walking into the kitchen to check the time, it was almost four p.m.

"Damn, we're late. Dobe is going to be furious," I muttered, taking a quick sip of water before going to wake Sakura up.

When I arrived back in the room, Sakura was curled up.

Walking quietly to the bed, I softly said, "Sakura, get up. We're already late. Naruto's going to be angry."

Sakura curled tighter into a ball, clutching something in her hands.

"Sakura," I gently stated, sitting on the bed. _Just what is she holding in her hands? _

Gently prying her fingers from the object, it turned out to be a blue crystal that was hanging on her necklace.

After staring at the crystal for a few seconds, Sakura woke up with her emerald eyes glittering as she sat up. I stared at sakura, patiently waiting.

"Sakura, we're late," I stated in a nonchalant voice.

Throwing off the blanket, Sakura asked, "Why didn't you wake me up before?"

I exited the room as Sakura got ready. One thing for sure, she was not leaving in a tank top and shorts.

"Okay, let's get going, Sasuke," Sakura exclaimed, smoothing her soft pink hair.

She was wearing faded light blue jeans with a black and white striped long sleeve shirt that had a hood attached to it. _Her crystal is gone; it's probably tucked beneath her shirt. _

"Hn," I remarked, opening the door for her as she walked out.

* * *

**Sakura POV: **

As Sasuke and I walked down the stairs, Sasuke stated, "Sakura, I noticed that you have a blue crystal hanging around your necklace."

Turning to look at Sasuke, I questioned, "How did you know that?"

"When I came to wake you up, you were holding your necklace. I checked to see what you were holding and it was the blue crystal," Sasuke informed.

"Oh, that reminds me of something I was going to tell you the other day. You remember when I wanted to talk to you about something?" I questioned, staring at Sasuke.

He nodded and I continued, "Yeah, it had to do with my crystal and …Sasori."

Sasuke looked at me with narrow eyes as he asked, "What do you mean?"

"Okay, let me clarify something. I am not interested in Sasori, Sasuke, just to let you know. And before I came to the Enhanced world, I was lying in a hotel room staring at my crystal and then I saw an image of Sasori and you were in there too along with Gaara," I explained quietly as we walked to the barbeque shop.

"And how does this have to do with what you needed to tell me the other day?" Sasuke inquired, scooting closer to me.

"Well, when I saw Gaara my crystal warmed up and I could literally feel the warmth radiating. Although, I haven't exactly found the meaning of that," I informed.

"Interesting, I think we should continue this conversation later," Sasuke advised, staring at an upset Naruto.

When we got closer to the entrance of the barbequed shop, Naruto demanded, "Where have you two been?"

"Ah, I'm sorry, Naruto. I slept in; it's really not Sasuke's fault," I apologized.

Naruto smiled and said, "Okay, since it's you Sakura-chan, I'll forgive you."

"Thanks, Naruto," I replied, smiling back at him. Ino and the others walked out of the shop.

"Oi, where have you two been, huh?" Ino ordered, with her hands on her hips.

Scratching my head sheepishly, I restated, "Yeah, about that, I'm really sorry. I fell asleep and Sasuke kept trying to wake me up."

Ino smiled and gave me a squeezing hug and pulled back to look at me while saying, "Oh yeah, since the Chunin Exams are over, the village is having a party tonight! The ninjas from the other villages that came to the Chunin Exams are celebrating with us."

"And because of the peace treaty that the Kages had signed," Shikamaru added.

I scanned the environment, looking at the decorated houses and paper lanterns that were suddenly being lighted.

"That's nice," I commented, linking my hands behind my back.

"You know what, we should have fun tonight!" Naruto said as TenTen agreed.

* * *

We walked around the lantern-lit streets of Konoha. The sun was gradually fading as the moon rose into the star-filled sky.

"Wow, this is amazing," I praised, turning to glance at Sasuke. He looked unfazed as usual. _Hmm, wonder what he likes about the celebration? _

"We're going to get some drinks. Did any of you want something to drink?" Naruto offered brightly.

After TenTen and Ino described their desired drinks to Naruto, they group of guys left.

"So how do you like it, Sakura?" Ino asked, tucking a blonde strand behind her hair.

Before I could reply, a feminine and nasal voice taunted, "Well, look at who we have here?"

Without even looking at the girl, Ino demanded, "What do you want, Ami?"

I was sitting between Ino and Hinata so I had to look over Hinata's shoulder to see the girl named Ami. She had short brown hair that was loosely curled. She wore a creamy beige skirt with a black top and sandals.

TenTen, who was sitting next to Ino, tried to prevent trouble from rising and asked, "How is your night going, Ami?"

"Stop beating around the bush, TenTen. I'll just get straight to the point. Sasuke is mine, Haruno," Ami declared.

Before I could respond, some of Ami's so-called followers were unsatisfied with her declaration.

"Hey, what do you mean, Ami?" a girl with long black hair demanded.

"Yeah, you told me that you would help me get Sasuke!" a girl accused harshly.

Ami spun around to shut them up. _What kind of a leader is that? _

"Ami, what's going on?" Karin asked, walking toward the enraged fan girls and Ami.

"Oh it's nothing much, Karin," Ami sweetly faked, twirling her short strand of hair.

Karin touched the edge of her black framed glasses, suspicious of Ami.

"Ugh, Karin, I told you to get rid of those ugly glasses! You need some contacts, geez, you don't listen do you?" Ami exclaimed, staring at Karin.

Karin gritted her teeth, clearly pissed off.

"And what is with your attire, Karin? This is a celebration, remember?" Ami stated, placing a hand on her hips.

"She looks perfectly fine to me," a masculine voice claimed.

Karin turned looked at Suigetsu as he jumped down from the trees. Ami scowled at his voice.

"Suigetsu," Karin softly said, staring at the silver-haired guy.

"Ugh, it's you again, Shark boy," Ami proclaimed, disgusted.

"Uh, thanks but I have a name Ami," Suigetsu retorted, smirking at the brunette.

"You're so gross; I can see why Karin doesn't want you," Ami snapped, smirking at Suigetsu. She knew that she had hit a weak spot.

"Ami," Karin warned in a grave tone.

"What? It is true, right Karin? You want Sasuke not Suigetsu," Ami innocently faked with a false smile glued on her face.

Karin stared at the ground, pissed off and stuck between what to say.

"Karin," Suigetsu gently said, glaring at Ami who was having a great time seeing Karin suffer inwardly.

"I…I like Sasuke, not you Suigetsu," Karin spat out, glaring at Suigetsu. However, I could see past Karin's hard and thick façade that she really did love Suigetsu. _Damn that girl, Ami!_

"Karin I-" Suigetsu started but Karin's sharp voice cut him off as she yelled, "Go away, Suigetsu! I hate you! Don't ever come back for me again." Karin glared at Suigetsu with a cold look.

"Fine, what ever," Suigetsu surrendered, turning to leave. _No, don't leave Karin, Suigetsu! She needs you, don't you see! _

I abruptly stood up and called out, "No, don't go!"

Surprised at my action, Ino whispered, "What are you doing, Sakura?"

"Suigetsu, don't give up now," I confidently stated, clenching my fists. _Please listen to me. I'm doing this for Karin and you, Suigetsu. _

Suigetsu slowly turned to look at me and smiled a sad and bitter smile. He waved goodbye as he walked away. _Sigh._

"What is the matter with you, Sa-ku-ra? Why do you keep insisting on Suigetsu to stay? You already have Sasuke-kun. Why would you want Suigetsu? Don't you know that he's already in some other girl's heart?" Ami taunted freely.

"I believe you misunderstood me, Ami. It's that or you're just a very bad listener," I stated, turning to walk away from Ami. Hinata, TenTen and Ino got up and left with me.

* * *

"Sakura, you were like the BOMB back there!" Ino exploded.

"Man, Sakura, you rock," TenTen complimented.

"Indeed, that was a generous thing to do," Hinata commented, smiling at me.

"The guys are taking a while," I pondered out loud.

"Oh, there you are, Hinata! I thought I lost you!" Naruto exclaimed, carrying Ino's and TenTen's drinks.

"Oi, Naruto, what took you so long?" Ino demanded.

"Troublesome lady, we went all over the village just to find your special drink," Shikamaru stated.

"Ah, well, Shikamaru looked all over the village for Ino's drink and Neji looked for TenTen's drink," Naruto blabbed.

"Aww, you really did that?" Ino and TenTen gleefully exclaimed.

Neji and Shikamaru blushed as they quickly turned around. I smiled at their reactions.

* * *

We began to walk again in pairs with a little gap between.

I couldn't stop thinking about Suigetsu. I sighed in frustration. _Why would he give up so fast? _

"What's the matter with you, Sakura?" Sasuke asked, staring at me.

"Well, don't get mad or misunderstand. I'm just worried about Suigetsu, Sasuke," I stated, staring at the lanterns as we walked by.

"Why are you worried about Suigetsu?" Sasuke asked.

"Well, I know that he really likes Karin and I know that she feels the same. I just can't understand why Karin is acting the way she is to Suigetsu," I let out.

"Those two have a long history together," Sasuke commented his hand brushed my hand.

"I could tell," I added, smiling at Sasuke. Sasuke turned away from me.

"What are you thinking about, Sasuke?" I asked, staring intently at Sasuke.

"Nothing much," Sasuke answered.

"Yo, Sasuke, you don't look very fun to hang out with right now!" Deidara yelled as he walked up to us.

"What are you doing here, Deidara?" Ino demanded.

"Hey, who said I couldn't have fun?" he retorted, holding up his hands.

"So, Gaara, you decided to join in with the fun, huh?" Deidara asked.

"I needed some fresh air," Gaara said, turning to look at Sasuke and me.

"Come on, Sakura," Sasuke ordered, taking my hand as I waved bye to the others.

"What's the matter Sasuke?" I questioned, prying my hand from Sasuke's.

"Oi, Sasuke, did you see Itatchi?" Sasori said, appearing out of nowhere.

"No, I didn't see him, but I'll tell him that you're looking for him if I meet Itatchi," Sasuke answered.

"Nah, I don't want to bother you," Sasori said, staring at me. _Okay…._

"You know, you look like this one girl that I met in the Human World, Sakura," Sasori blurted unexpectedly.

"Oh, I do?" I asked. _Please don't say that it's me. I don't want Sasuke even more upset. _

"Let's go Sakura," Sasuke commanded in a cold tone, dragging me with him as I quickly waved bye to Sasori.

* * *

"Okay, Sasuke, this is the second time in a row that you have suddenly dragged me with you. Would you care to explain why you are behaving this way?" I demanded while Sasuke led us to a bench.

The cold cemented pathway was secluded with trees lined up on the sides as the path led to one of the main gates.

Sasuke sat on the bench. He dropped his head into his hands as he set his elbows on his knees.

Still standing, I sat down next to Sasuke.

"Sasuke, tell me what's wrong. Why are you so upset?" I asked gently.

"Sakura… I feel that you are insecure without me," Sasuke claimed. I gave him a confused look.

"Not like that, Sakura. I'm always thinking about you when I'm not with you. Even when I went with Naruto them to go get some drinks, I was worried for you. Then, I heard guys talking about you. And they were really interested in you," Sasuke explained.

"Interested in me?" I questioned, raising my eyebrows.

"They wanted to date you, Sakura," Sasuke rephrased.

Sighing, I leaned on Sasuke's shoulder and said, "Sasuke, you know, that I only love you but…"

"But what Sakura, tell me?" Sasuke questioned, looking at me.

"Well, I've never heard you tell me that you love me. I mean I'm fine if you like me, Sasuke," I explained, staring at my hands.

"Look at me, Sakura," Sasuke ordered.

I turned to look and Sasuke lightly kissed me.

Removing his lips from mine, Sasuke set his forehead on mine and whispered, "Sakura… I always say that I love you. I just say it when you're sleeping."

Hearing that, I stared up at Sasuke as I set my hands on his shoulders.

"I love you, Sakura," Sasuke said, turning to look away but I caught his chin.

"Aww, you're blushing. You're so cute when you're embarrassed, Sasuke-kun," I quietly commented, stroking his cheeks with my thumb.

"Hn," Sasuke said, staring at me.

"I love you, too, Sasuke," I barely whispered.

* * *

**Stay Tuned for Another Chapter of…**

"**Welcome to the Enhanced World" **


	34. Chapter 34

*Chapter 34: Ami, Karin and Mina

* * *

Please R&R :)

_Thoughts- Italics_

**Bold- Inner**

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: Naruto does NOT belong to me** **  
**

* * *

**Keep reading! The girl who was talking to Orochimaru will be revealed in THIS chapter! Hold your guesses!**

* * *

**Normal POV:**

"Damn, that pink-haired freak," Ami sneered under her breath.

Karin was standing next to the scheming brunette. The other fan girls were not aware of Ami's remark.

"Now, what do we do, Ami? The pink-haired girl is probably with Sasuke already," demanded one of the fan girls.

The fan girls began to verbally attack Ami.

"What do you mean?" "You told me that I could spend the night with Sasuke!" "You're a liar, Ami!"

It was 'Ami this' and 'Ami that'.

Karin stared at her former friend, Ami. _This isn't my friend. Ami was never like this…not until Orochimaru came along. _

"Ugh! Will you stupid girls shut up! Be patient, I will get rid of Sakura for you!" Ami yelled, frustrated.

"I want Sasuke!" "No, I do!" The angry fan girls began to fight amongst each other.

Tired of hearing their complaints, Karin turned around and shouted, "Shut up!"

They turned to stare at the red-head, wide-eyed.

"Karin," stated a close friend of Karin. Her name was Mina. The long-black haired girl stared at her closest friend in awe.

Karin gently pushed her black frames back as she informed, "You all know that you have a small chance of even talking to Sasuke, much less dating him." Karin's claim earned her some dirty looks and glares from the fan girls.

"Ah, what Karin is trying to say is that you all should be considerate of Sasuke's feelings, right Karin?" Mina lied, turning to stare at the stubborn red-haired girl.

Karin walked away from the crazy, rabid group of fan girls.

Ami smirked as Karin walked away.

"Ugh, we all know that Karin isn't a true Sasuke fan!" a fan girl declared.

"Yeah, why does she even pretend to be one of us, Mina?" another girl demanded, staring at Mina.

"How would I know?" Mina asked, lying for her friend. _They're starting to suspect Karin's loyalty to Sasuke. _

Ami shifted her weight onto one leg as she stood waiting for Mina to calm the outraged girls.

"Anyways, ladies, just get going home or go find another guy for the night?" Ami suggested, holding a finger up. They turned to glare at Ami and walked off in the opposite direction.

Mina turned around to stare at Ami. "Are you even interested in Sasuke?" Mina questioned.

"Of course, I am, Mina. Why wouldn't I be into Sasuke? I mean he's hot and strong and yeah, do I really need to explain it to you?" Ami inquired, taking a step closer to Mina.

Mina brushed Ami's comment off, planning to go find Karin. As she walked past Ami, Ami grabbed her arm and all knowingly stated, "However, I know that you are not interested in Sasuke-kun, Mina. So, tell me, why did you even join this fan club? What is your purpose?"

Mina shook Ami's hand off of her arm and responded, "None of your business, Ami."

She walked away from the brunette.

* * *

**Mina POV: **

I walked to the edge of the woods and sat behind a tree. There were bushes surrounding me.

Usually, I would come to this isolated area and think about my problems.

Lying on my back, I stared at the dark and star-filled sky.

"Karin, what are you planning?" I whispered.

Quickly and quietly sitting up, I heard multiple footsteps near my area. I sat on my knees, hiding behind the thick bushes.

"Karin, you know what you have to do!" Ami harshly whispered. _What's going on? _

"I-I'm not sure if this is right, Ami. I'm sure there's another way to go about Orochimaru's plan," Karin softly said.

"No, Orochimaru specifically told ME that we have to get Sakura by tonight or else…"Ami couldn't bear to finish her statement.

"Ami, why were you even talking to Orochimaru in the first place?" Karin asked.

Afraid to reveal myself, I held my breath and did not peek through the bushes. I didn't even make a sound.

Ami sighed in frustration and explained, "Look, Orochimaru knows where we are and he isn't going to sit down and let us disobey him. Besides, he said that he would free you and me after we catch Sakura for him."

My eyes widened. _Why does Orochimaru want Sakura?_

"No, Ami. You can't fall for Orochimaru's tricks! He's a liar; he doesn't keep his promises. They are all lies!" Karin informed, raising her voice.

"Oh, be quiet, Karin. I'm doing this for both of our sakes! It wouldn't hurt to try, Karin," Ami said.

"Why does it have to be me? Why do I have to lure Sakura to Orochimaru's place?" Karin defied.

"Because you're the President of the Fan club and you listen to me, duh," Ami reasoned.

"No, I'm just the figurehead like you say. Ami, you said that you were the president; you make all the choices. You even told me that you were making the club to date Sasuke! You never told me about your deal with Orochimaru. Is this the reason why you made me look like a slut just so that you could be free from Orochimaru?" Karin accused.

"Karin, I am the president of the club. I just needed help and Mina wasn't willing to help me, so I came to you for help. You were being a good friend by taking on the role of Sasuke's fan girl club president. But since I do have the real authority as the real president of the club, I need you to get Sakura to the meeting point that I told you earlier," Ami pleaded.

Karin let out a deep sigh and finally agreed, "Fine, Ami."

"Hurry up; Orochimaru's not going to stay patient forever," Ami ordered. _Just what is she scheming? _

The sound of Karin's footsteps slowly faded as she left to complete Ami's order.

_Karin, why are you easily manipulated at times? _

I felt Ami's chakra presence disappear.

I ran out of the wood and headed towards the loud and bright village to find Sakura.

"If I can't change Karin's mind, then I'm going to have to lend Sakura a hand," I whispered as I smoothly made my way through the crowd of people.

* * *

**Sakura POV: **

"Ne, Sakura-chan are you feeling okay?" Hinata asked.

"Ah, yeah, I'm fine Hinata," I replied.

I rubbed my arms to get rid of the goose bumps. Ino gave me a concerned look.

"Are you sure you're okay, Sakura?" TenTen asked.

I nodded and claimed, "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just cold, that's all."

We were sitting in a shop, waiting for Sasuke and the other guys to come.

Earlier, we had split up by gender. I guess they just needed some guy time.

A cold breeze blew through the open window. Rubbing my arms, I fought back a shiver.

"Um, I'm going to go to the restroom for a bit. I'll be back in a minute," I informed, getting up.

Shutting the bathroom door, I leaned on the wall. _What's going on?_

Shaking my head, I quickly splashed some water on my face and exited the bathroom.

A girl with dark, long hair was walking in the hallway with a frantic expression as if she were looking for someone important.

Quickly glancing passed me, her stare instantly landed back on me as she sighed in relief and rushed towards me.

"Sakura-san," the girl said as she reached me. I stared at her confused and suspicious.

"Who are you?" I questioned.

"I'm Mina. Now that that's over, I need to tell you something very important. Walk with me, Sakura-san," Mina whispered in a rush.

Walking with her as we left, I asked, "What do you need to tell me and don't try anything weird."

"Don't worry. I came here to warn you about something Ami is planning," Mina informed and continued, "Ami made a deal with Orochimaru to exchange you for her freedom and supposedly Karin's freedom too."

"What do you mean?" I asked in a low voice, getting self-conscious already.

"I overheard Ami and Karin arguing about what to do. I've already tried to stop Karin but she won't listen. I'm afraid for her. Ami is just using her," Mina explained, staring at the ground.

"What's your relationship with Karin?" I inquired.

Mina exhaled sharply, sitting on some milk crates and answered, "I was her best friend until her former friend Ami came along. I don't have anything against Ami, but she is completely using Karin to get her wishes. I can't stand in the side lines and let Karin get trampled all over."

"Oh," I said, unsure of how to handle the situation. _So Karin really isn't like what people say then. _

Mina looked at me and asked, "So what are you going to do?"

"I… I'm not sure, Mina," I replied, staring at her.

"Let's go back to my friends. I think we should inform them about this, Mina," I advised.

Mina looked up at me and asked, "You're not going to do anything that will harm Karin, are you?"

"No, why would I do that? I know it's not Karin actually wanting to do that. She's just in a tough situation, right now," I answered.

* * *

Mina and I walked back to the shop.

I could hear Ino and Sasuke arguing.

"Sakura's not in the bathroom?" Sasuke demanded.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke. I didn't even see her leave the restroom," Ino apologized.

"Uh, I'm back," I uncomfortably stated. Their stares landed on me and then on Mina.

"Okay, look, we have something to tell you," I informed.

After Mina finished explaining, Shikamaru phrased, "So you're saying that Orochimaru is using Ami who is using Karin to capture Sakura?"

Mina nodded.

"Look, this is what we need to do. First, we need to inform the Hokage," Shikamaru ordered.

"Got it," Ino said, heading to Tsunade.

"Second, Sasuke and I will stay here with Sakura and Mina; these two are going to be targeted," Shikamaru said.

"Naruto, Neji, and Hinata, you will go inform the other ninjas and tell them to evacuate the people," Shikamaru commanded.

* * *

Mina and I sat next to each other as Sasuke and Shikamaru came up with strategies and kept a look out.

Staring out the window, I could see people being evacuated. Ninjas from different villages were helping out, preparing for battle.

Tsunade entered the shop and immediately stared at me. Ino and Shizune were standing next to Tsunade.

"Sasuke, Shikamaru and Ino, take Sakura and Mina to my headquarters. Gaara and his sand ninjas are waiting there. I will instruct the other ninjas what to do," Tsunade ordered.

Mina and I were surrounded by Sasuke to the left and Shikamaru to the right and Ino behind us.

Hearing the sounds of metal clashing, I turned around to see Sasuke deflect a kunai with his Katana.

"Get moving," Sasuke ordered. I hurried, pulling Mina with me as Ino and Shikamaru guarded us.

We were almost to the entrance when a group of Sound ninjas wearing gray clothing appeared.

A flurry of kunais and shurikens were thrown at us.

Shikamaru skillfully prevented them from reaching us as Ino led us to Gaara and the others.

Five sound ninjas had followed us.

Ino turned to fight them.

Back to back, Ino, Mina and I quickly got rid of the Sound Ninjas.

Soon, a cluster of those ninjas had surrounded us.

One of them threw poison needles but a wall of sand had blocked us.

"Thanks, Gaara," Ino muttered. Gaara walked next to us and asked, "Are you two okay?"

"Yeah, thanks for the help," I replied.

Sasuke and Shikamaru appeared by our sides.

"What's going on?" Ino asked.

"Mina was right. A snake was summoned near the Main East Gate," Shikamaru said, "We have ninjas covering the gates."

I stared at Sasuke. He looked so determined and serious. Well, not like he's never serious but you get what I'm trying to say.

Right when we got to the entrance, Karin said, "Stop."

I turned around to look at Karin dressed in dark jeans and a red shirt, wearing ninja sandals.

"Karin," Mina said, taking a step towards Karin as she attempted, "don't do it. Do not listen to Ami; I'm sure there's another way, Karin."

Karin shook her head as she reached for a kunai.

"Mina, what are you doing?" Ino asked, stopping Mina as she left the entrance.

I tried to stop Mina, but Sasuke stopped me, holding a hand out in front of me.

I bit my lips. _Don't do something stupid, Mina. _

We could barely hear Mina talking anymore because she had walked closer to Karin.

Mina was just a few feet from Karin.

Suddenly, Karin was upset and charged at Mina.

Here's the confusing part.

Another Karin had interfered, pushing Mina back and blocked the first Karin's kunai.

"One of them is a fraud," Shikamaru stated quietly.

After the second Karin punched the first Karin, the real Karin was the second Karin.

The first Karin was Ami. Ami got up, wiping blood off her lips.

"Karin, what the hell are you doing?" Ami yelled, biting her thumb. _She's going to summon something._

Realizing what Ami was going to do, Shikamaru stopped Ami with his Shadow.

But then the real Ami had appeared and performed the seals to summon.

The man who pretended to be Kiba appeared.

"It's the imposter," I mumbled. Gaara walked out with Kankuro and Temari. They prepared to fight the man.

Some more Sound ninjas popped out. Sasori and Ino began to fight them. Sasuke was by my side.

Everyone was fighting, except me and Sasuke.

"Sasuke," I said, still staring at the man. _There's something odd about the man. _

"What is it Sakura?" Sasuke asked. I pointed at the imposter.

"That's not the man who pretended to be Kiba," I stated.

* * *

*******If it's not the imposter man, then who is it? **  


**Stay Tuned for Another Chapter of…**

"**Welcome to the Enhanced World"**

* * *

(Author's note) **FYI: Ami (NOT Karin) was the girl who was talking to Orochimaru from the previous chapter(s). **


	35. Chapter 35

*chapter 35: Trapped…

* * *

Please R&R :)

_Thoughts- Italics_

**Bold- Inner**

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: Naruto does NOT belong to m****e**

* * *

**Sakura POV:**

"Sasuke, this isn't the imposter from last time," I muttered, staring intently at the man.

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked, turning to look at me. I looked at Sasuke, hesitant of what to say.

"I just have a feeling that he's not the same as before," I replied.

"Shut up, Karin! You're a traitor; you betrayed me," Ami yelled, cloning herself.

Ami and the clones ran towards the direction that Sasuke and I were at.

Mina and Karin ran towards us.

Sasuke braced himself for battle.

"Hn, I never thought that I would be fighting a fan girl," Sasuke muttered, his hand skittered over his katana.

_He's not going to use his sword is he? _

Ami's clones charged at Sasuke. The real Ami threw several smoke bombs.

I covered my mouth as I jumped up and landed on a tree branch.

Sasuke quickly got rid of Ami's clones. Mina and Karin rushed over to my side.

"Don't think that I'm doing this for you, Sakura," Karin muttered, glaring at Ami.

Mina shook her head, not surprised by Karin's antics and suggested, "I think we should get going."

Ami took a step, smirking as she pulled out a kunai that had a paper bomb attached to it.

She threw the kunai at us and we jumped down from the tree, moving out of the entrance to where Sasuke was. Sasuke was surrounded by Sound ninjas as he tried to move closer to me.

Ami pulled another kunai/paper bomb out and tossed it in the sky. The bomb blew in the sky and the kunai split into pieces. It sounded like a firework and definitely had the smoky fogs floating around the battleground.

Kneeling, Ami quickly bit her thumb and performed an unknown seal.

"What is she doing?" I asked, looking at Karin and Mina expectantly.

"I don't know I've never seen Ami use this seal before," Karin informed.

Ami stood up and leaned on the wall of the Hokage's headquarter. She slid down as she coughed out blood.

I saw four shadows reflect on the ground as the four people made their way to Ami's side.

"Tayuya," Ami managed to say, looking up at the four people.

Tayuya declared, "When did you become so weak, Ami?"

Ami laughed bitterly and responded, "Just do your things so I can be free from Orochimaru; he promised me freedom."

"Heh, Orochimaru would never let you go, Ami," a guy with two heads claimed.

"Who are they?" I whispered, looking at Karin.

"I don't personally know them, but they are one of Orochimaru's elite henchmen. They're known as Sound Four. That's Jirobo of the South, Kidomaru of the East, Sakon and Ukon of the West and Tayuya of the North," Karin explained.

Mina glared at them and said, "They're probably here to capture you using their barriers, Sakura-san."

Karin and Mina stood in front of me and I expressed, "Guys, I can fight too."

Karin shook her head and said, "Dummy, that's not the issue. Tsunade's going to be pissed off if she finds out that I didn't do anything to protect you. Stop making my job harder for me."

I sighed and retorted, "You know, Karin, you're actually not that bad."

Karin snorted and Mina stifled a laugh.

"Oi, pink girl, come with us," said the double-headed Sakon and Ukon.

"Why would Orochimaru want a piece of trash like her?" Tayuya claimed, crossing her arms.

"Yeah, why would he want a piece of trash like me? Why don't you four go back to Orochimaru and tell him that I'm too trashy for him, ne?" I offered, smirking at Tayuya.

"Sakura," Karin hissed and Mina shrugged, still alert.

"Shut up, Tayuya. You're making this even more difficult," Jirobo ordered.

"No, you shut up fat ass," Tayuya retorted, glaring at us.

"She's not going to budge. Let's just fight then," Kidomaru suggested. I could see his arms were twitching with eagerness.

Ami coughed, struggling as she stood up and hastily ordered, "Quit whining and let's get her already."

* * *

The four of them ran to their own corners as Ami walked towards us.

"Crap, they're going to do their barrier and trap us," Karin muttered.

"Well, then, I think it's best if we split," I suggested. Karin and Mina looked at me as if I was crazy.

"Are you trying to kill yourself?" Mina asked, outraged.

"No, we'll mingle into the group of Sound ninjas and Sasuke them. Then, they'll have a harder time trying to trap us," I explained, Karin and Mina nodded.

We split up, all running towards the big group of ninjas.

"What the heck! Get them, you four!" Ami yelled, pointing at us.

"Shut up, you whiny girl before I kill you!" Kidomaru shot back.

Mingling with the group of ninjas, I sense the Sound Four's chakra presence trailing after me.

_You want to fight? Then, bring it on. _

"Sakura!" Mina yelled.

I turned around, grabbed one of the Sound ninjas, and smashed him into Tayuya.

Not expecting my attack, Tayuya fell back a few feet with the Sound ninja lying on top of her.

"Argh! This piece of trash! Get the hell out of my way," Tayuya shouted, pissed off.

"Hmph, you're not bad, girly," Kidomaru praised, behind me.

He shot his webs at me. It wrapped around my legs, tossing me into the sky as he jumped into the air with me. He was weaving some seals.

_I need to get out of his reach quick. _

I quickly twirled in the air, closing the little distance between us.

Aiming for a hard kick in his stomach, I quickly grabbed the collar of his shirt and yanked him back to me before he could escape from my kick.

With one hand gripping his collar, I slyly stole his weapon pouch with my other free hand and attached it to the pocket of my faded blue jeans. _Thank god, my jeans are kind of loose. _

I quickly let go of him and he crashed into a tree.

Just as I was about to land, I heard Karin yell, "Sakura, above you!"

From the corner of my eye, Jirobo launched himself off the roof.

He was activating his cursed seal. These black marks were spreading from the nape of his neck and all over his face.

"I actually have to use the cursed seal on you," he muttered as he jumped towards me in midair.

Standing on the ground, I grabbed a smoke bomb and threw it at him.

He didn't seem fazed at all and charged at me with a kunai.

Pulling a kunai out, I blocked his attack.

I could feel Tayuya creeping up on me and Jirobo demanded, "Don't interfere, Tayuya!"

"Ah, shut up, dumb ass," she remarked, charging at me. I quickly slid under Jirobo, sort of expecting him to stomp on me. But he seemed surprised at my strategy.

Brutally kicking him in the back he smashed into Tayuya and the two of them flew into several trees.

"Watch out, Sakura!" Karin yelled, pointing up in the air.

Swiftly retreating from Sakon and Ukon, I braced myself. He ran a hand through his hair.

"Tch, I can't believe these fools failed against you," Sakon said. I expected his other head to comment but he didn't.

Throwing shurikens at me, I deflected all of them as he charged at me with two kunais.

Jumping in the air, he aimed a kick at me which I dodged as he swung his kunai at me.

_Crap._

I grabbed his kunai and tightened my hold on his hand as he struggled to get out of my reach.

My hand was bleeding from the tight grip on his kunai.

Launching a chakra-filled punch, I smirked at him.

Sending multiple punches at the double-headed guy, he coughed out blood.

I kicked him and sent him flying into the air. He coughed out blood, quickly wiping it away from his bleeding lips.

"Tch," he said, angry as he weaved a series of seals.

"I'm not done with you yet," I remarked as I launched myself at him.

Punching him, I quickly poured chakra into my hands as I paralyzed his arms.

His arms fell limply to his sides as he landed safely on his feet and cursed, "You damn wrench!"

I turned around and Tayuya activated her cursed seal.

"Move, Sakura!" Sasuke yelled. I turned to look at him.

As I was caught off guard, Tayuya lunged at me with her kunai.

I managed to dodge her but the cursed seal had enhanced her speed by a lot.

"Crap," I muttered under my breath as I kept dodging her attacks.

Suddenly, she pulled out her flute and played a note. A huge gust of wind blew against me, pushing me back.

"She's manipulating the wind?" I whispered to myself as I took cover behind a tree.

"Ahh!" Karin and Mina managed to express as the two girls went to find shelter from the heavy wind.

"Ha! Too scared to come out you piece of trash?" Tayuya claimed, moving her lips to play a higher pitch on her flute. The gust of wind blew harder.

I stared at the tree next to me; it was gaining deep marks from the impact of the wind.

"Hmph, two can play at this game, Tayuya," I said, stepping out of the tree as the wind calmed down a bit.

* * *

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled, holding an arm to cover his face. Hinata looked worried.

Sound ninjas had blocked Naruto and Hinata them from Tayuya and me.

"Damn it, get out of my way!" Naruto yelled, punching and kicking his way to me.

I turned back to look at Tayuya who played a higher octave. She smirked at me.

"Wind," I softly said, still staring at Tayuya who began to play furious notes on her flute.

Tayuya's wind flew at me as I felt the Wind come and lift my hands gently.

Lifting my hands up, I slammed them together in front of me as the Wind collided against Tayuya's wind.

One clap is all it took for the Wind to move.

Tayuya yelled, "What is going on!"

I held my ground as the impact created by the two dangerous winds smashed everything in its way.

The trees were smothered against one another. I could hear Ino and Hinata's yelling against the wind as the two held their arms to protect themselves.

I ran through the crazy fight between the winds. I wasn't even scratched from the wind.

"What are you?" Tayuya asked, grabbing her flute as she prepared to play another note.

I lifted a finger and swung it at her. Tayuya's flute crashed into the tree.  
"You piece of trash!" she exclaimed, charging at me.

The big gusts created from the collision of the two winds blew Tayuya's hair back as she cloned herself.

I quickly grabbed out smoke bombs as she headed towards me. Throwing them at her, the gusts blowing at us quickly spread the dark smoke all around.

I deviously found the real Tayuya as she screamed in anger and retreated out of the smoke.

Trailing after her as she led the way out, I landed a punch on her and she spit out blood.

Pouring chakra into my hands, I was going to paralyze her until Jirobo who was on the other side of the smoke fog ordered, "Tayuya, retreat!"

She glared at me and willingly retreated. I was going to chase after her but Karin and Mina stepped out.

Karin reasoned, "Don't chase after Tayuya; it could be a trap!"

I turned to look at her and Mina.

"Okay, we should go to the others then," I advised. The wind had calmed down as the smoke faded away. I could clearly see Hinata and Naruto waiting on the other side with Sasuke and Gaara and the others.

Naruto waved at me and scowled at Karin. I shook my head in response.

"Now!" Ami yelled, popping out.

Tayuya, Kidomaru and Jirobo began to form seals.

"Crap, get out of here, Sakura," Karin informed me.

But before I could do anything, a dark black barrier formed, trapping the three of us.

* * *

**Stay Tuned for Another Chapter of...**

**"Welcome to the Enhanced World" **

* * *

******Author's Note:**

**Okay, so i got some reviews that were confused in regards to the plot line for chapter 34.**

**Basically, chapter 34 is takes place after Sakura, Ino, TenTen, and Hinata leave Karin and Ami and the crazy fan girls.**

**It is supposed to inform you guys(a little bit) about Karin, Ami, and Mina. Like how they know each other and who's really the president of Sasuke's Fan Club, etc. **

**But the next chapter is when the history of Ami, Karin and Mina is fully in-depth revealed.**

**Does that make sense? Anyways, keep on reading :)**

**Oh, and thanks for the info on Itachi again. I keep forgetting that -_- **


	36. Chapter 36

* Chapter 36: Not just a Barrier…

* * *

Please R&R :)

_Thoughts- Italics_

**Bold- Inner**

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: Naruto does NOT belong to me**

* * *

**NORMAL POV: **

"Sakura-Chan!" Naruto yelled furiously kicking the Sound ninjas that were attacking him.

Sasuke was running to the dark barrier and Ami yelled, "Get over here, you stupid idiots!"

More Sound Ninjas appeared in front of Sasuke, preventing him from going to help Sakura and the others.

Sound Four was chanting loudly in synchronization, making seals along the way.

"AMI, YOU ARE SO DEAD!" Ino yelled making her way, kicking and punching out of anger.

Ami snorted and turned to look at Sound Four.

She walked closer to Kidomaru, who smirked as all of Sound Four stared at her.

"What is it?" Ami asked, looking at them nervously.

They pronounced one last seal and a hole appeared in the dark barrier. Tayuya pushed Ami with enough force to send her tumbling into the barrier where Sakura and the others awaited.

Sakon and Ukon muttered something and the barrier closed, locking them for sure.

Inside of the barrier, Mina and Karin glared at Ami who was standing across from them.

Sakura was listening to Sound Four muttering again and asked, "What are they doing now?"

"They're going to send us…to Orochimaru," Ami said, fighting back the chills that were from fear of seeing him again.

Sakura turned to look at the dark barrier, feeling hopeless with her fists at her side.

Sound Four finished and all of them bit them thumb, to make it bleed. They mysteriously touched the barrier making symbols on it and said in perfect unison, "Send them."

Sakura's eyes widened. The place shook inside of the barrier but the barrier didn't shrink or anything spatially uncomfortable.

"Sakura!" Sasuke yelled as Sakura, Mina, Karin, and Ami disappeared inside of the barrier.

* * *

**Stay Tuned for Another Chapter of …**

"**Welcome to the Enhanced World"**

**Please Review ;)**

* * *

**Author's Note: **

**Sorry for the long update, readers! Sorry for the short chapter but i've uploaded two so...YAY for you! **

**I'll try to update more this month, my favorite month.**

**I have two new stories asides from this one, so please check it out if you're bored. I'm gonna start updating them too. But definitely, I am going to put this story 1****st****! **

**Well, have fun reading!**

**Happy October to all of you! **


	37. Chapter 37

*Chapter 37: Friendship

* * *

Please R&R :)

_Thoughts- Italics_

**Bold- Inner**

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: Naruto does NOT belong to me**

* * *

**Normal POV:**

After Sound Four had completed the transportation jutsu, they turned to face Naruto and the others.

"Orochimaru's henchmen over there! Feel the wrath of Uzumaki Naruto!" Naruto yelled, pointing at them accusingly.

"Tch, try it, you piece of trash," Tayuya challenged.

Before Gaara could object, Temari stepped up and defied, "Oh yeah?" She pulled out her big fan and slammed it on the ground. Rocks jumped in the air from the vibration of the Sand ninja's fan.

Tayuya recognized Temari from one of their previous battle and sneered, "Oh, you want to fight me?"

Temari tilted her head a bit and said, "Ha, last time I checked, you lost."

Jirobo stifled a laugh and smirked at Tayuya who was completely humiliated as she yelled, "Then, fight me."

Temari shrugged and said, "Hmph, why not?"

The two went at it, taking the fight into the forest and away from the village.

"Kankuro," Gaara said and Kankuro went to keep an eye on Temari.

* * *

"Yosh! Now who wants to get their butts kicked?" Naruto exclaimed, pounding his fists together.

"Oi, where's the guy with the freaky eyes?" Kidomaru demanded, licking his lips.

"What are you? Orochimaru?" Naruto questioned, outraged by the spider-guy's action.

"You mean, Neji? He's too busy to be fighting you. You see, he's too advanced for you," Naruto bragged.

Sakon and Ukon looked at Sasuke and stated, "Sasuke."

Sasuke stared at the double headed man with no emotion.

"Do you regret it? Not being powerful? That's why you should've gone to Orochimaru, but you wimped out," Sakon and Ukon said, taking turns to say things.

"No, it's fine," Sasuke replied.

"Tch. You're still bratty as ever," Sakon and Ukon said and continued, "… I guess we'll have to beat that out of you and make you realize how weak you truly are."

Sasuke smirked at him and retorted, "Look at yourself first."

Sakon and Ukon stared at each other and Sasuke sighed, forgetting that they had two heads for a second.

"Your hands and arms," Sasuke prodded, feeling like he was talking to a child.

Sakon and Ukon remembered their fight with the pink-haired girl. She had paralyzed their arms and hands.

"Damn that pink-haired wrench!" Sakon yelled.

"Haruno Sakura, you will die!" Ukon yelled.

"Hn, not until I kill you first," Sasuke said, giving them his famous smirk. _Thank you, Sakura. _

The two fought for life and death, taking their battle into the forest like Temari and Tayuya.

"For Sakura's sake, I'll go lend Sasuke a hand," Ino said, hoping that Sakura would be okay.

Before Ino left, Shikamaru suddenly hugged Ino and said, "Sakura will be fine. She's strong, Ino. I'm taking a team of ninjas to go find them."

"What about Tsunade? Does she know about Sakura?" Ino asked, staring into Shikamaru's eyes.

"…Not yet, but we should give it our all. Sakura is an important friend," Shikamaru stated, smiling softly at Ino who nodded and chased after Sasuke.

Shikamaru and his team of ninjas left to go find the group of missing girls.

* * *

Only Hinata and Naruto and Gaara stayed to fight Kidomaru and Jirobo.

"Heh, I can take all of you on," Kidomaru claimed.

"Embrace the youthfulness of Rock Lee!" Lee yelled as he landed on the ground perfectly.

"Tch, who's this wannabe?" Kidomaru said, annoyed.

"I will fight you. You are the one that lost against Neji-san, aren't you? If Neji could defeat you, then so can I," Lee proclaimed, flashing him a blinding smile.

Lee and Kidomaru left to go fight. Hinata kept looking to the forest every second. _I hope Lee's okay. _

"Hinata, you should go to Lee. You could cut the webs, you know," Naruto said, smiling at Hinata knowingly.

"Thanks, Naruto," Hinata said, giving him a peck on the cheek before leaving.

* * *

"Aww, isn't that cute?" Jirobo teased.

"Yeah, you should try that sometimes. I'm sure you'll be good with the ladies," Naruto retorted, laughing.

"And to think that you guys learned something when you went against us," Jirobo said.

"Yeah, we did. Never let a friend go," Naruto replied.

"Hmph, you're still naïve as before. I don't know how you got this far and still you're called a ninja?" Jirobo questioned.

"Naruto is one of a kind when it comes to ninjas," Gaara said, stepping next to Naruto.

"Yep, and so is he," Naruto added, throwing an arm around Gaara's shoulder.

"Oooh, friendship. We're so strong because we're friends, yay!" Jirobo mocked and said, "Grow up."

He charged at Naruto who dodged it and provoked, "Follow me if you can, Orobo!"

Gaara shook his head and said, "He's playing with you. He's gonna lead you on a wild goose chase."

Jirobo growled and chased after Naruto's retreating figure.

Gaara sighed and began to walk after the crazy two fellows.

* * *

**SAKURA POV:**

I landed on my feet but soon landed on my butt when Karin and the others crashed onto me.

"Ow," I said, hoping that they'd get off my leg.

Karin pushed the others off and helped me up.

"Thanks," I said, patting my jeans as I scanned the new environment.

"Whoa, where are we?" Mina asked, spinning in a circle slowly.

"I have no clue," I muttered, stopping to stare at Ami who was looking at bit too pale.

Karin followed my gaze and demanded, "Ami, what's going on?"

"…I don't know," Ami said, looking at the ground.

"Don't lie to me," Karin remarked, grabbing Ami's shirt.

"Don't mess around right now. We need to get out before-" Karin said, but suddenly stopped talking.

She looked around the place, suspicious.

Mina looked at Karin and asked, "What is it? Did you sense someone's chakra, Karin?''

"Orochimaru's coming," Karin stated, her stare landed on me. I inhaled a breath of suddenly cold air.

"Let's get moving," Mina said, grabbing my wrist gently.

"Got it," I said.

We ran as Ami stayed put and said, "You know, you can't hide. You're trapped. Orochimaru will find you."

Karin glared at Ami as she said, "Whatever, Ami."

I looked back at Ami one last time and saw a tear roll down her cheek. She smiled sadly at me.

I wanted to stop and ask her what was really going on, but I figured that Mina and Karin would be against the idea.

Sighing, I followed Karin.

* * *

We were sitting down after ducking from branches and thorns.

I got a few scratches.

"I think there's something that Ami isn't telling us," I stated. Karin looked at me incredulously.

"Are you saying that you believe her?" Karin asked.

"No, I'm just trying to say do you know why she wants to be free so bad?" I asked.

Karin replied, "She wants to be free from Orochimaru, duh, Sakura."

"Why would she go through all this trouble when she was perfectly safe in Konoha?" I asked, trying to get their brains racing.

"I never really thought that far," Mina said. It sounded like she was talking to herself. She and Ami didn't get along.

"Did she happen to strike another deal with Orochimaru for someone else?" I asked.

"Ami wouldn't do that. She fights for herself only," Mina said, looking at me. Karin stared at the ground quietly.

"I would fight for my friend," I stated, returning the stare.

"But that's you, Sakura," Mina said.

"No, I think that Ami has different plans that we haven't even heard of," I said.

Mina abruptly got up and said, "Ugh, I'm tired of all this talk. I'll be back in a few."

"Don't go too far," Karin warned.

"And don't get lost," I added. Mina laughed and said, "No worries."

* * *

I stared at Karin and said, "So what do you really think, Karin?"

Karin looked at me, tucking in her red hair.

"I…I really do want to know why Ami is doing all of this. I mean, I know that she doesn't have full evil intentions in her mind. Sometimes, I just wish that she would tell me her plans," Karin stated, kicking at the grass.

"Mina told me that you guys are childhood friends?" I asked.

"Yeah, Ami and I grew up in the Sound Village. Orochimaru had captured us and we became one of his. He marked us with his cursed seal. One day, we managed to escape and a group of Sound Ninjas followed us. But then, a group of Konoha ninjas saved us at the most important time. If it weren't for them, then I wouldn't be here and neither would Ami," Karin explained, staring at the ground with watery eyes.

"We moved into the Leaf Village and everything was completely different. It was so bright and happy there. I wanted to stay there forever, but then I found out that Orochimaru had disowned Ami, saying that she wasn't worth anything. He was still after me, for my chakra sensing ability. When Ami found out, she completely changed and then Mina came along and she became my other friend asides from Ami," Karin commented.

"Some nights, Ami would be gone for the whole night and there would be some days where I never saw or met her," Karin muttered quietly.

"You were worried about Ami's complete change," I stated, feeling a little awkward because here I was talking like I could understand what Karin felt when I know that I've never experienced any ounce of that pain.

"Mina was there for me, but she couldn't be there for me when Ami was there because those two never got along. Mina saw Ami as a liar and not a friend because of how Ami left me hanging there with our friendship," Karin said, sighing as she looked at me.

"Well, all I can say is that it's nice to have friends, Karin," I commented, smiling at her.

We heard a scream. Karin and I ran in the direction of the scream.

"It's either Ami or Mina," I muttered as we picked up our pace.

Karin looked at me and said, "Follow me, Orochimaru has Ami and Mina."

* * *

**Stay Tuned for Another Chapter of …**

"**Welcome to the Enhanced World"**

**Please Review ;)**

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**

**What did you think of this chapter? ^_^**

**I'll be waiting for your replies, so please tell me what you found interesting, funny, or what you disliked. **


	38. Chapter 38

*Chapter 38: Live for Us

* * *

Please R&R :)

_Thoughts- Italics_

**Bold- Inner**

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: Naruto does NOT belong to me**

* * *

**Karin POV:**

_Ami…Mina… please be safe. Orochimaru, if you laid a finger on them, you are so dead._

Thinking about Ami and Mina, I forgot about Sakura who happened to be trailing after me.

"Karin, which way do we go now?" Sakura asked, breathing hard like me.

_She didn't deserve this. We all didn't. _

I had stopped causing Sakura to ask again, "Where do we go now?"

I turned to look at the girl that I barely knew.

"Sakura, you need to stay here," I said, trying to sound firm. _She's just as stubborn as I am._

Sakura shook her head and challenged, "I _am_ coming with you, Karin. I can't just let you go alone."

"And I can't let you come with me," I countered, staring at her solid and determined green eyes.

"Why not?" Sakura asked, staring at me intensely.

"Because Tsunade would be angry at me and Sasuke would want you to not put yourself in danger, Sakura. That's why. Isn't that already a good enough reason?" I demanded, frustrated with her stubbornness.

Sakura looked away, her fists curled at her side.

"Look, I know how you feel but you need to…trust me," I stated, feeling awkward since we barely knew each other.

Her emerald eyes stared back at me in surprise.

"Yes, I know you can't believe I just said that, Sakura. But really, I'm not as slutty or bitchy like people say I am. That's all for the show," I muttered, wondering to myself why I was telling these stuff.

Sakura smiled knowingly and sighed, giving in.

She asked, "Fine, where do you want me to stay?"

"Well, just stay here, I guess. If any one comes by, you know what to do," I advised.

Sakura nodded and leaned on the tree.

Turning to leave, I muttered to Sakura, "You know, I think you're not that bad either, Sakura."

* * *

**Sakura POV:**

I stayed put at the tree where the path split into two directions, staring at Karin's fading figure as she went after Mina and Ami.

"I can fight too," I muttered quietly as I sat behind the large and thick tree.

Feeling useless, I pondered to myself whether I should follow Karin or not.

_Karin might need help._

* * *

**Normal POV:**

A pain-filled scream echoed in the isolated and dark forest.

Karin increased her speed as she grew more worried.

Reaching the final destination, she pulled a kunai out as she scanned for Orochimaru's chakra.

Locating his Chakra, Karin hid her presence and smoothly made her way to them.

Karin hid behind a thick tree, peeking out occasionally to see what Orochimaru was doing.

He stood a few feet away from Mina who was standing, frozen with a terrified look.

Orochimaru preceded in advancing towards Mina and just as Karin was going to jump out and ambush Orochimaru from behind, Ami appeared holding a kunai in defense.

"Orochimaru, don't come any further," Ami ordered in a steel voice.

Karin stopped breathing, wondering what Ami was going to do with the kunai.

Amused, Orochimaru took a few steps back and said, "Well, it'sss niccce to sssee you again, Ami."

"Shut it, Orochimaru. I brought Sakura like you wanted, but you'll have to go find her yourself," Ami stated, walking next to the fear-struck Mina.

She had cuts and scrapes on her arms and legs.

Orochimaru eyed Mina in that disgusting hungry manner of his.

Ami caught Orochimaru's stare and quickly put her kunai on the base of Mina's throat.

"I'll be going now with the girl, too," Ami said, backing up and never taking her eyes off Orochimaru.

Orochimaru took a step and whined, "No, you don't. You didn't bring Haruno Sakura to me. I said I wanted her right in front of my eyes, didn't i, Ami?"

Karin saw a flash of fear in Ami's eyes for a brief second but she covered it with defiance.

"If you want her then go find her yourself, Orochimaru," Ami challenged, still keeping the kunai on Mina's neck as the two advanced backward slowly.

Orochimaru let out a creepy laugh and said, "What about the freedom?"

"… I have my freedom," Ami replied hesitantly, not moving anymore.

Orochimaru took a step closer and demanded, "I thought you said that you were doing this for Karin's freedom? I thought that you wanted to keep your little friends alive?"

"Well, yeah, I kind figured that even if I brought Sakura to you, nothing would change. You would still be after Sakura just like you're still after Karin," Ami shot back.

"And you're holding this girl as a hostage?" Orochimaru asked, licking his lips.

"… I'm taking her with me, Orochimaru," Ami said as she reasoned, "She's no use to you."

"Of course, she's not. But just a few tweaks here and there and then she'll be ready to be one of mine though," Orochimaru countered, taking a step as Ami took a step back.

Orochimaru stopped and stared at Mina.

Orochimaru asked, "What is this girl to you?"

Ami answered, "A friend."

Orochimaru questioned, "Oh really?"

He grabbed a kunai from his pouch slowly.

Karin accurately aimed several shurikens at Orochimaru as she came out from hiding.

"Oh my, Karin, it's been a while since I've seen you," Orochimaru greeted, licking his lips.

Karin snorted in disgust as she stared across the forest to look at Ami and Mina.

Ami had managed to snap Mina out of her fearful trance from the earlier encounter with Orochimaru.

Karin turned to look at Orochimaru who was smiling wickedly.

Disgusted, Karin slowly tried to make her way to Ami and Mina, just like they were trying to get closer to Karin.

Orochimaru charged at Karin, stretching his flexible neck all the way from the other end.

Karin backed up, pulling a kunai out as she slashed at his face eagerly when he tried to charge at her with his head.

Mina threw a paper bomb attached with a kunai at Orochimaru's neck, hoping to decapitate the snake man.

Orochimaru quickly retreated, staring at Karin with desire.

"She's not yours anymore," Mina stated with firmness, pulling out even more weapons.

Orochimaru licked his lips even hungrier for more surprises.

Orochimaru walked closer to Karin and said, "I know all your strengths and weaknesses, Karin, after all I am the one who gave you power."

Karin glared at him with disgust and anger.

"You know that I could defeat you three together in a flash. So it's either you all die or you just come with me," Orochimaru warned, tired of playing easy.

"I'd rather die than go with you," Karin seethed, holding her kunai out in front of her.

"You're the reason why I'm here, Karin," Orochimaru said.

"Shut up!" Ami yelled, losing her temper as Orochimaru continued to blabber.

Sensing Orochimaru's chakra, Karin suddenly felt overpowered.

Fearful and shaking tremendously, Karin dropped her kunai and fell onto her knees.

Ami growled in anger at Orochimaru.

Orochimaru continued to walk towards Karin.

Her hands were sprayed at her side. Karin stared at Orochimaru in fear. Fear of going back to the Sound, the dark and lifeless place.

Mina ran in front of Karin, trying to protect her.

Orochimaru smirked in delight as he approached the two girls.

"Prepare to die," Orochimaru said, closing his eyes as he was pulling a sword out from his mouth.

* * *

Blood scattered on the floor as Orochimaru opened his eyes.

He loved the sound of his prey's blood gushing out.

But when he stared into the face of his prey, he was shocked and surprised.

"What…Why are you here Ami?" Orochimaru said, brutally removing his sword quickly from Ami's chest.

She coughed out blood and wiped it away with the back of her hand.

Smirking in triumph, Ami defied, "I told you I would never let you lay a finger on them."

Mina and Karin stared at Ami with wide eyes in surprise and confusion.

"Ami…" Karin said, with worry.

Ami coughed and Orochimaru laughed saying, "You just injected yourself with my venom."

Ami stared at him defiantly as she remarked, "I'd rather die fighting for my friends than for you."

Orochimaru charged at Ami, angry at her disloyalty, with his sword in one hand.

Mina jumped in front of Ami, using her kunai to block the sword.

An ear-piercing screech echoed throughout the forest.

Orochimaru pressed even harder on his sword and Mina pressed as hard as she could.

Orochimaru abruptly retreated a few steps and Karin quickly got up to go heal Ami.

Taking his chance to attack, Orochimaru directed his sword at Karin barely missing her as she dodged.

Mina blocked Orochimaru's attack, giving Karin time to try to heal Ami.

Mina made her way back to Karin and Ami who were arguing.

Karin scolded, "Ami, you have to let me heal you!" She was holding her wrist out to Ami, so that Ami could bite it and recover from her injuries.

"No!" Ami responded, stubbornly.

Mina sighed and muttered, "I wish that you could've told us what you were up to, Ami."

Ami coughed and said, "I was trying to save us."

Karin shook her head, not wanting this to happen.

* * *

Orochimaru had stretched his snake-like neck and was headed at Karin with his sword wedged between his teeth.

Mina quickly jumped in front of Karin who had her back to Orochimaru.

Karin turned around to see the tip of Orochimaru's sword pierce through Mina and stop several inches from her.

Mina let out a haggard breath.

Ami pulled Karin away from the sword using most of her strength. Karin was still staring at Mina's bleeding figure.

Orochimaru pulled the sword out of Mina and stretched his head around Mina to attack Karin.

Ami and Mina both appeared in front of Karin with the sword piercing through both of them.

Karin let out a small cry of terror.

"Now what are you going to do?" Orochimaru taunted, ripping the sword from Ami's and Mina's bodies.

Karin bit her lips, preventing herself from showing her weakness.

"Tch, shut up you weirdo!" Ami shouted, spitting blood onto the ground as she struggled to stand straight.

Mina glared at Orochimaru and Karin rushed to help her friends.

Mina and Ami looked at each other, talking silently.

Karin looked at them with confusion, back and forth.

Mina and Ami put their hands together, mixing their chakra as they tried to finish the jutsu that they had started long ago but never finished.

"K-Karin, get as far as you can from this place," Ami managed to say, giving Karin an exhausted look.

Karin looked horrified, finally understanding what the two were planning to do.

"NO, you can't do this!" Karin shouted.

Mina shook her head and said, "Live, Karin, live for us or else it will all be a waste."

"It will all be a waste, Karin. My efforts, our bloodshed, our fighting for you," Ami added, coughing again.

Surrendering, Karin nodded as the two combined their last bits of chakra.

"Go and take her away," Ami ordered, looking past Karin.

Karin turned to look back at the person Ami was talking to.

A white haired guy stood there, holding his big sword. He flashed a reassuring smile at Karin.

"Suigetsu," Karin said with tears falling down her cheek.

* * *

**Stay Tuned for Another Chapter of...**

**"Welcome to the Enhanced World"**

**PLEASE REVIEW :)**

**A/N:**

**THANKS FOR ALL THE REVIEWS! Honestly, i never thought that my story would be this appealing to readers!**

**SO...Give me your thoughts, readers! Good or bad, it's fine with me. **

**What did you think of this chapter? Were there any confusion with anything? **


	39. Chapter 39

*Chapter 39: Tools

* * *

_Italics- thoughts _

**Bold- Inner**

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: Naruto does NOT belong to me ;)**

* * *

**Shikamaru POV: **

"Captain Nara?" asked a Chunin-ranked ninja.

I turned to look at him as we were jumping from tree to tree.

"What is it?" I questioned, focusing my attention back to the front again.

"…Well, I was just wondering how we're going to find them?" he asked, removing his stare from me.

Giving him a reassured look, I answered, "It is going to be fine. I've got Hiro scouting for their chakra presence, Akira."

He nodded and went back to scanning the area for any clues as we traveled.

I saw Hiro, who was a couple meters in front, abruptly stop and turn around to look at me.

He shouted, "Captain Nara! A group of ninjas are coming at 6 o'clock!"

Akira and I turned to look. Akira's dog barked at the group.

Preparing for battle, I quickly realized the group.

"It's just the Akatsuki, don't worry. Tsunade must have sent them," I reassured, holding a hand up.

The Akatsuki is a well-known organization.

It's composed of many skilled ninjas from all over the hidden villages. They serve the hidden villages, accepting missions that they think will contribute to restoring peace and justice. It's all for a good cause.

Itatchi ran up to my team, asking, "Shikamaru, have you found them yet?"

Shaking my head, I responded, "Not yet."

Deidara smirked as he said eagerly, "Let's go find them and take Orochimaru down! I'll show him what true art is with a BOOM!"

Sasori shook his head and muttered, "Get a new word, Deidara."

Deidara shot a comment back at Sasori who immediately retaliated.

I shook my head at their little argument. _And they're all friends?_

Itatchi pinched his nose in embarrassment.

All of a sudden there was a booming sound. A flock of crows dispersed, flying for their lives from the danger.

"Looks like we found them," Yahiko stated.

We ran towards the sound with a fast pace.

* * *

**Naruto POV: **

"I told you that you shouldn't underestimate me," I stated, hovering above Jirobo.

He was beaten to a pulp, bloody and barely conscious.

"Hmph, like you would understand. You're only strong because of the Kyuubi," Jirobo stated, pushing me back.

I quickly retreated from him and demanded, "Why? Why do you work for Orochimaru?"

He staggered, trying to stand up correctly as he answered, "We're all tools. You are one too, even if you don't think that you are."

"No, we're not tools, Jirobo," I replied, feeling the anger stirring up within me.

I hated the idea that some ninjas believed that we are tools, waiting to be used by those who wield the power to control over others.

He shook his head in disbelief.

_Zabuza….Haku._

I clenched my fists.

"Don't you know that you aren't a tool?!" I exclaimed.

"Tch, you wouldn't understand the life of an outcast, a prisoner," Jirobo said as he continued, "Indeed, you are still naïve. You're friends will be dead soon."

"What?" I asked, staring at him intently.

"Orochimaru is using us as decoys to-" Jirobo suddenly stopped talking as someone stabbed him in the back.

Ripping the kunai from Jirobo's back, the cloaked person stated, "Naruto-kun, you're words are very effective, did you know that? You have the ability to influence people with your stupid beliefs."

"Kabuto!" I accused, pointing a finger at him as he chuckled, sliding the hood off.

"What are you doing here?" I demanded, grabbing a kunai out to attack.

" I was getting rid of unwanted trash. He was starting to wear out anyways," Kabuto commented with pity.

Before I could react, Kabuto disappeared.

"Tch, I'll kill you," I muttered, staring at Jirobo's limp form on the ground.

Gaara came out from behind the trees, staring at Jirobo and me, as he questioned, "What happened?"

I turned around to say, "I'm going to kill Kabuto."

* * *

**Ino POV:**

"Hmph! Sasuke, you should've let me help you fight too!" I proclaimed, crossing my arms as we searched for Naruto.

"Hn," Sasuke said.

"Really? I don't even know how Sakura could survive with you," I muttered.

_Ugh and to think that I was crazy about him? _

Thinking about Sakura, I sighed and began to sulk again.

"…Sakura, she's going to be alright, right, Sasuke?'' I asked, turning to look at Sasuke.

"She can fight for herself, Ino," Sasuke said firmly. I caught a flash of worry in his eyes.

_Of course, he's not 100 percent sure, but Sakura…Damn it, Sakura will survive! I gotta believe in her!_

From the corner of my eyes, I could see Sasuke's fists clench together and then unclench.

I pretended not to notice.

* * *

**Sasuke POV:**

_Sakura, please be okay. _

Orochimaru is going to die. I'm going to catch him with my hands and kill him.

That devious snake!

_Just wait, Sakura, I'm coming._

* * *

**Normal POV:**

Naruto and Gaara ran through the forest, searching for comrades.

Along the way, they found Kankuro and Temari.

"OI, TEME! INO! Where are you two? If you can hear me, YELL back OKAY?" Naruto shouted, using all the air his lungs could muster.

Naruto quickly turned, dodging a thick wall of trees and bushes and vines.

"Watch where you're going, Baka!" Ino yelled, rubbing her head.

"Ino... Where's Tem-oh, there you are Hinata-chan!" Naruto shouted, giving Hinata a big hug.

Naruto turned to look at Ino and asked, "Eh, where's Sasuke?"

Ino pointed at Sasuke who was standing in the shade.

"Oi, Teme! Get over here so we can go find Sakura-chan!" Naruto ordered.

Sasuke glanced at Naruto with cold eyes.

Naruto stiffly turned to look at Ino and whispered, "N-ne, what's wrong with Sasuke?"

Ino quietly said, "He's been like that since we defeated the double headed guy."

"He's in the mood to kill," Hinata chimed in.

"Well then, let's go kick some Snake butt and save Sakura-chan!" Naruto said, walking over to Sasuke and throwing an arm around his shoulder.

"Right Sasuke? You'll take Orochimaru and I'll take Kabuto? And the others can be the backup?" Naruto offered, ignoring the others' complaints.

"Hurry up, Dobe," Sasuke stated, walking ahead with a hand on his katana.

* * *

**Stay Tuned for Another Chapter of..**.

**"Welcome to the Enhanced World"**

**PLEASE REVIEW**

**A/N:**

**Yeah, this chapter is kind of short than my usual chapters. I gotta go finish homework. **

**But definitely, i'm going to update this weekend, so please do Stay Tuned... **

**Please review. It does keep me energized to write more. **


	40. Chapter 40

*chapter 40: To Be Executed

* * *

_Italics- Thoughts_

**Bold- Inner**

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: Naruto does NOT belong to me**

* * *

**Sakura POV:**

I stopped pacing back and forth as I heard a booming sound. I stared in the direction the sound came from.

"Karin," I said, instantly running to wherever they were.

_I can't just sit and wait while you all fight!_

* * *

**Normal POV:**

Orochimaru bent down to ask, "Are you already tired out?"

"Tch, get the hell away from me," Ami seethed, aiming a kick at him. Orochimaru jumped back.

Mina stood next to Ami, panting hard. _Our jutsu failed… _

Karin took a step, wanting to help fight but Suigetsu held her back with one strong arm.

"We have to go, Karin," Suigetsu stated, pulling her along with him.

Karin shook her head stubbornly, turning to look at Ami and Mina.

"Suigetsu, hurry and take her already, Baka!" Ami yelled, clutching her broken arm.

Karin shook her head in response.

"Ugh, Karin, stop being so stubborn and get moving already!" Mina shouted.

Orochimaru's snake slung its long tail at Ami and Mina, throwing them into the trees.

With a huge thud, Mina and Ami slid down the tree.

"Mina! Ami," Karin yelled, running to them.

Ami got up and pushed Karin away harshly, demanding for Karin to go away.

Mina spit out blood and forced herself to glare at Karin.

Karin sighed and said, "Okay, I'll go if you just let me help once."

Ami and Mina stared at each other, deciding and answered, "Fine, but we decide."

"I want to help you complete the jutsu!" Karin offered, staring at them.

"But you don't even know-"Ami said, but Mina cut her off, stating, "Fine, we needed some more chakra anyways."

Karin smiled a bit, pouring all of her chakra into her hands.

"K-Karin, you can't put all of your chakra," Mina refused, trying to pull her hand away but Karin held her hand firmly along with Ami's.

Karin reasoned, "Well, since you two are going to fight for me until you die, then so will I."

Mina and Ami smiled at Karin and said, "Yeah, but you're going to live for us, Karin."

Suigetsu came up and muttered, "You know, we all can escape together. No one has to die."

Karin nodded and Ami shook her head, saying, "No, I think I've had my share of life already."

Mina smiled and said, "I'll leave Karin to you, Suigetsu."

Karin began to slump from the small amount of chakra she had left.

Suigetsu wrapped an arm around Karin, who tried to stand.

"Bye, Karin," Mina and Ami whispered, running towards Orochimaru with a bright orb of chakra in their hands.

Suigetsu took Karin and ran as fast as he could.

"No!" Karin yelled, but Suigetsu picked her up, hugging her to his chest as they ran away.

A large boom was heard. The dark forest lit up with bright lights from where the battle was.

Suigetsu set Karin down, seeing the huge flash of light.

"S-Suigetsu, we have to go back," Karin demanded, wiping her tears.

"…Fine," Suigetsu said, grabbing her hand as they quickly ran back.

* * *

Reaching the battle ground, Karin gasped.

She spotted Ami and Mina, lying dead. There was a severely burned body a few feet away.

Karin ran to her friends and Suigetsu chased after her.

* * *

"Oi, Suigetsu, is that you?!" Naruto yelled, running across the place.

Naruto stopped abruptly, staring at the dead bodies.

Sasuke searched for Sakura. Ino stifled a gasp and hugged Hinata tightly.

Shikamaru and the Akatsuki appeared a few minutes later.

"What happened here?" Shikamaru demanded, staring at Karin who was hovering over Ami and Mina.

The ANBU mysteriously appeared.

A masked girl with purple hair knelt down to check the burned body.

Tsunade ran up to the scene; her heels crushed a twig. Naruto winced from the piercing sound.

The masked ANBU woman stood up, stating, "Haruno Sakura is officially dead."

Sasuke turned to stare at the burnt body with wide eyes.

Danzo appeared and stated, "We, The Elders of Konoha, have decided for Karin to be executed."

Karin looked at Suigetsu with terrified eyes.

"You can't execute Karin! She's innocent!" Suigetsu exclaimed, standing in front of Karin with open arms.

* * *

**Stay Tuned for Another Chapter of...**

**"Welcome to the Enhanced World"**

**PLEASE REVIEW :)**

**A/N: **

**So what do you think of this chapter? **

**I'm gonna upload another one soon... so, do stay tuned in for another chapter ^_^ **


	41. Chapter 41

*Chapter 41: Missing Sasuke

* * *

_Italics- Thoughts_

**Bold- Inner**

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: Naruto does not belong to me**

* * *

**Sakura POV:**

"Is she going to be okay?" a middle-aged woman asked with worry.

"She'll be fine, Mizuke," an old man assured as he continued, "She just needs some more rest."

Hearing their soft voices chatter, I fluttered my eyes. I could feel my eye lashes stroke my skin.

"I-I think she's waking up," the woman stated.

"Sakura, are you awake?" the old man asked, setting his hand on the bed.

_Orochimaru…Karin…the bright lights… I summoned a portal. _

_Wait, where am I? _

Forcing myself to open my suddenly heavy eyes, I saw the Old Man and his wife hovering over me.

"…Old Man?" I questioned and said, "Wait… why are you in the Enhanced World?"

The Old Man shook his head and replied, "I think I should be asking you why you're in the Human World."

My eyes widened as I remembered what had happened, I quickly sat up causing a sudden rush of nausea to overwhelm me.

His wife helped me lay back down on the bed.

I laid quietly on the bed, thinking. _I'm in the Human World?_

"Wait, how do you know about the Human World and the Enhanced World, Old Man?" I asked, turning my head to stare at him.

He smiled and said, "Because I am from the Enhanced World, Sakura."

* * *

I slowly sat up, pressing my back to the wall, and clutched the fluffy pillow to my chest.

"…I guess that makes sense. But where are we?" I inquired, scanning the place.

His wife, Mizuke, chuckled and answered, "You are at our house, my dear."

I looked at their nicely-framed pictures.

"Oh, okay. But why am I here?" I asked, trying to remember.

Old Man looked to his wife who placed her hand on his shoulder.

"You don't remember what happened, Sakura?" the Old Man asked.

I responded, "Well, I remember summoning a portal, but… I think I need time to fully remember."

They nodded and the Old Man informed, "Well, we were closing the shop and suddenly, you walked out of a portal and slumped against the wall, falling unconscious. Instantly, I knew that you had just come from the Enhanced World."

I stared at the thick curtains and thought quietly.

"I remember now. Orochimaru attacked Konoha and he was after me, I guess. But it was more like he was after Karin and then I got transported into the forest with Karin and her friends," I finished, staring at the Old Man and his wife.

"I heard about Orochimaru attacking Konoha," Old Man said, nodding to himself.

"Really, how did you find out about it?" I asked.

"Sakura-san, you've been recovering for about five days," Mizuke commented, staring at me with her brown eyes.

I asked incredulously, "Eh! I've been knocked out for Five DAYS?!"

They nodded at me. I held back a breath.

"Wow, I must've used a lot of chakra when I summoned a portal," I muttered, staring at the dark blue blanket.

* * *

Staring at the dark blue blanket, I remembered Sasuke.

His dark and silky hair.

His gorgeous smirk. Yes, I know I just complimented his smirk.

His strong yet gentle hands and his calming obsidian eyes.

_I miss him. _

_I miss his smile and his welcoming embrace._

* * *

**Stay Tuned For Another Chapter of...**

**"Welcome to the Enhanced World"**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

**A/N: **

**Special thanks to: Dark Shadow400 **

** -seriously, thank you for ALL of your reviews ^_^ **

**And of course, thanks to all my other reviewers! **


	42. Chapter 42

*Chapter 42: Thanks for Everything

* * *

_Italics- Thoughts_

**Bold- Inner**

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: NARUTO DOES NOT BELONG TO ME**

* * *

**Normal POV:**

The Old Man and his wife sauntered off into the kitchen, letting Sakura have some personal time.

Sighing, Sakura got up and walked into the kitchen several minutes later.

Mizuke had just finished setting up the table dinner.

"Sakura-san, come sit and eat, my dear," Mizuke stated, pulling a chair out.

"Thank you," Sakura replied, sitting in the wooden chair.

The Old Man and his wife sat down and they all ate.

* * *

"Mizuke-san, are you from the Enhanced World also?" Sakura asked, setting her chopstick down.

Mizuke shook her head and answered, "No, I'm human."

"Really? How did you two meet?" Sakura asked, turning to look at the Old Man who was busying himself with his napkin.

"It's okay if you don't want to tell me," Sakura said, holding her hands in front of her.

The Old Man stared at Sakura and clarified, "No, it's not that. It's just that… well, you see, the reason why Mizuke and I met was because of your parents."

Sakura dropped her hands into her laps and asked, "You knew my parents?"

The Old Man nodded and answered, "I was one of your parents' closest friends. I had moved to the Human World to start a new life. And about ten years later, your parents fled to the Human World searching for my help."

"At the time, I had just gotten married to Mizuke," the Old Man informed.

Mizuke nodded and said, "One day, we had just come back from an appointment with the doctor and your parents were waiting outside our house. I can still remember that day."

The Old Man smiled and said, "You were so cute and tiny, Sakura. Your mother held your small hand as you clutched your father's wrist."

Sakura tilted her head, trying to remember, and stated, "Really, why can't I remember coming to your house?"

"You were small, Sakura. It's okay not to be able to remember a lot of things when you're a toddler," Mizuke reassured, smiling at Sakura.

Sakura nodded and said, "So what did my parents want from you?"

"Your parents wanted us to take care of you," the Old Man answered.

"It was a good experience. We got to get a feeling of parenthood," Mizuke expressed.

"Now that I think about it, that explains why I remember seeing you two so much," Sakura stated, smiling back at them.

* * *

Sakura helped Mizuke wash the dishes.

"Mizuke-san, what were my parents like?" Sakura asked.

"Ah, your mother was a generous lady and very funny. Your father was humorous too. I could tell that you and your mother meant everything to him," Mizuke explained, scrubbing a plate.

Sakura nodded and stared at the water as it rushed out of the faucet.

"It must have been hard on you these last years, huh, Sakura-san?" Mizuke asked, staring at Sakura.

Sakura nodded and replied, "Yeah, it has been. I have so much questions and very little answers."

"I think we can help you with that, Sakura," the Old Man said, walking out from the living room.

Sakura turned around to look at the Old Man.

"Really? and by the way, do you have a brother? Because when I was in Konoha, I just happened to come across a Ramen shop whose owner looked like you but slightly different," Sakura explained.

"Ah, that must be my younger brother. Oh how I miss him," the Old Man muttered quietly.

"Why don't you visit him?" Sakura asked.

"I'm too old to be traveling Sakura," the Old Man replied and joked, "When you go back to Konoha, ask him to come visit me ne?"

Sakura smiled and said, "Of course, I'll ask him, Old Man."

Mizuke smiled and suggested, "Sakura, why don't you go have a talk with him. I'll finish the dishes by myself."

"Eh, are you sure?" Sakura asked, wiping her hands on her jeans.

Mizuke nodded and gestured for Sakura to go with a hand.

"Thanks, Mizuke-san," Sakura said and took a seat.

* * *

"So where should we start, Sakura?" the Old Man prompted, facing her.

"Um, well, did my parents inform you about the fourth Hokage?" Sakura blurted, linking her hands on top of her lap.

"Is he still in a coma state? He was a good man and shinobi," the Old Man stated.

Sakura nodded and said, "Yeah, Kushina told me that my parents said that the right person would come along and wake Minato-san out of his coma."

The Old Man questioned, "They think that it's you, right?"

Sakura nodded and the Old Man sat quietly.

"It would make perfect sense for the 'right person' to be you, Sakura. However, you're parents were a pair of unpredictable people. I think that is a question for you to answer," the Old Man said.

"Of course, it will take time Sakura. So don't feel discouraged, alright?" Mizuke advised, carrying a tea of green tea and dango.

Sakura nodded and held the cup of tea.

"Anything else, Sakura?" the Old Man asked.

"What about the demon that was supposed to take the fourth Hokage?" Sakura asked.

"Honestly, if it weren't for your parents, then he would be gone. But your parents made a deal with the demon most likely. Just in case you happen to awaken Minato, you should be wary of the demon asking for compensation, Sakura," the Old Man informed.

Sakura took a bite from the dango.

* * *

"Has there been any latest news from the Ninja World?" Sakura asked, sipping her tea.

Mizuke looked at her husband who asked Sakura, "You haven't heard about it yet?"

"I just woke up from a five-day slumber. I haven't heard of anything. But what is it?" Sakura asked, setting her tea on the table.

"Karin has been sentenced to death. She's going to be executed a month from now, Sakura," the Old Man said.

Sakura's eyes widened.

"And news has spread all over the Ninja world that you are officially dead, Sakura," Mizuke stated.

"What!" Sakura demanded, standing up outraged.

"What should I do now?" Sakura asked, sitting back down in the wooden chair.

"Well, you're obviously not dead, Sakura," the Old Man said.

Sakura let out a light chuckle.

"And someone's gotta stop Karin from getting executed. She is innocent after all," Sakura muttered.

"Which means that…" Mizuke started but Sakura answered, " …that I've got a funeral to crash!"

"Well, that too, but you have to train yourself, Sakura," Mizuke said.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that," Sakura muttered.

"Mizuke means that you have to sharpen your skills, Sakura. After the incident with Orochimaru, it just shows that people are still after you," the Old Man warned.

Sakura bit her bottom lip, thinking to herself.

"How should I?" Sakura asked.

"I think it's time for us to tell you what your parents wanted us to tell you now, Sakura," Mizuke stated.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked.

"Sakura, when your parents were standing in this very house, your parents asked us to tell you that you are to unlock your powers through nature," the Old Man explained.

"Nature?" Sakura repeated.

They nodded to Sakura and Mizuke said, "That doesn't make sense to us, but it should to you, Sakura."

Sakura nodded and stood up saying, "Well, then that means that I should get moving too. I gotta go train!"

"You have to go to the Enhanced World?" Mizuke asked.

"…Something like that," Sakura answered.

The Old Man smiled knowingly and stated, "Good luck, Sakura."

* * *

Sakura opened a portal and was about to step in when Mizuke said, "Wait, Sakura, I have something for you."

Sakura turned around to look at her and the Old Man.

"Here take this," Mizuke offered, holding a black bag.

"What's this?" Sakura asked.

"Medical supplies, Sakura. Don't worry, I didn't steal it. I used to be a nurse," Mizuke informed.

Taking the bag, Sakura said, "Thanks for everything. I'm glad that my parents chose you two to take care of me."

Mizuke wiped a tear away quickly and nodded her head.

"Kick some butt for me, ne Sakura?" the Old Man asked.

Sakura laughed and saluted him as she answered, "I will, Old Man!"

Sakura entered the portal and it shut, vanishing into thin air.

"It's beautiful yet scary how the world can operate sometimes," Mizuke stated, staring at her husband.

"It's going to be fine, Mizuke. Sakura will find her parents. I know they're out there somewhere," the Old Man assured.

* * *

**Stay Tuned For Another Chapter of...**

**"Welcome to the Enhanced World"**

**PLEASE REVIEW :)**


	43. Chapter 43

*Chapter 43: Determination

* * *

_Italics- thoughts_

**Bold- Inner**

* * *

**Sakura POV:**

"Ugh, let me try again, Nature," I stated, trying to dry my dark and wet T-shirt.

Nature smiled at my determination and said, "Try not to fall again…for the hundredth time."

I nodded as I closed my eyes, trying to feel the forces of the five elements.

Standing on the tip of a rock on one foot in the middle of a river, I could hear the small waves' crash and collide against the rock.

With my eyes comfortably shut, I could feel Nature's presence and her power.

"Search for the elements, Sakura. Not me," Nature instructed.

Searching intently, I shifted to the other foot smoothly without opening my eyes.

_Fire. Water. Earth. Wind. Lightning._

* * *

You know how sometimes when you're waking up and you can hear other people talking softly? Well, it was like I was starting to 'wake up'.

I could hear and feel the elements' power humming and buzzing. However, I just couldn't actually find it.

_Be patient, be patient. _

"Sakura, you've gotten a step closer," Nature commented with an approving tone.

Opening my eyes out of happiness of my improvement, I lost my perfect balance and fell into the river.

Nature sighed, pinching her nose as she chuckled lightly at my fall into the river.

"Eventually, you will be able to defend yourself with the five elements from _anything_, Sakura. And when the time comes, you'll be prepared to find your parents," Nature stated.

Baffled, I nodded at her statement and stood on top of the rock again.

"This time, I will succeed," I exclaimed with fists up in the air.

* * *

**Stay Tuned for Another Chapter of...**

**"Welcome to the Enhanced World"**

**Sakura: "please review!" (nudges Sasuke) **

**Sasuke: "...Hn, i guess i'll say it...****...Please review, lovely readers." **

**Naruto: "This is the Future Hokage asking you to Please Review!" (giving you thumbs up) **

**Hinata: "Please review!" (Bows politely)  
**

* * *

**A/N: **

**Eh, sorry for the supremely short chapter -_- **

**I know it's lame. I usually write more than this. *Sigh* **

**School's been extremely hectic! Hopefully, i'll get to update some more this weekend :) **


	44. Chapter 44

*Chapter 44: Sasuke's Back

* * *

_Italics- thoughts_

**Bold- Inner**

* * *

**Normal POV:**

"You're an ANBU?" said a man who was cornered by the masked shinobi.

Wearing the ANBU mask, Sasuke took out his katana as he walked towards the dying man.

"You have been ordered to die. Not only have you killed several innocent villagers, you have killed five feudal lords from the fire country," Sasuke stated in a monotone voice.

Before Sasuke could kill the man, the man pulled out a kunai and killed himself in front of Sasuke smiling bitterly as he questioned, "Why do they always have others do the bloodshed? Don't you ever wonder about that, young ANBU?"

The man slumped as he died of blood loss. Sasuke stared at the dead man as he thought to himself.

* * *

"Damn it, Sasuke, open the door!" Naruto yelled, pounding his fists on Sasuke's apartment door.

Naruto's furious and rapid poundings gradually stopped as he set his forehead on the door.

Naruto quietly stated, "Sasuke, I'm worried about you. You haven't come out for a month. You're parents are worried and so are your friends. Itachi's worried to death, Sasuke. "

Naruto looked at the door knob, hoping for something to happen. Naruto sighed and said, "I'm going to go, Teme. If you need me, you know where to find me."

Naruto descended the stairs with clenched fists. _ Damn it!_

* * *

"WHAT! Baa-chan, you gave Sasuke-Teme a series of A-list missions to do for a MONTH?! Why didn't you tell me-well, us?" Naruto yelled. The others nodded in agreement.

Tsunade sighed in irritation and frustration as she swirled around to glare at them.

"Because you would respond like this and that's why I let Sasuke go for a month. He needs some time to think about what happened with…S-sakura dying," Tsunade finished, sounding sulky again.

"This whole time, we thought that Sasuke had shoved himself into his apartment for a month," Naruto muttered, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"When is Sasuke coming back, Tsunade-sama?" Itachi asked.

"He's supposed to come back tonight since the elders demand for every Konoha shinobi to be present during the executions tomorrow," Tsunade responded, getting angry at the Elders.

"Just what is Danzo planning?" Fugaku asked, looking perplexed.

Tsunade intertwined her fingers under her chin as she stated, "He wants to have the executions but not a funeral for Sakura."

"Why does he have her ashes though? What good could he do with Sakura's ashes?" Shikamaru pondered aloud.

"Sakura-chan…" Naruto whispered, staring at the ground.

"She's really gone?" Ino asked. Tsunade looked away from them, trying to stay strong.

"It's been a month since Sakura died and there is evidence of Sakura's death," Tsunade stated and continued, "But I would like to believe that she's alive. I trained her to survive; she couldn't have died so easily and so… young."

* * *

Shizune entered the office and walked towards Tsunade.

"Did you get anything out of Karin?" Tsunade asked.

Shizune smiled sadly and answered, "I asked her some questions and she didn't answer any of them. It seems like she is also in shock too, Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade turned to stare at Ino's father, Inoichi.

"I could not hack into her mind. It seems like there is a strong wall or barrier or whatever it may be that is preventing us from accessing the memories of what happened in the forest," Inoichi informed.

Tsunade nodded.

"Did you ask Suigetsu?" Sasuke asked, standing in front of the closing doors.

"Teme, why didn't you tell me about the mission?" Naruto demanded.

"You're here early," Tsunade muttered, knowing that he wouldn't hear her.

"I heard that you were pounding on my apartment door, Dobe?" Sasuke stated, crossing his arms.

Shizune faked a cough causing the two males to get back on track.

"We have asked Suigetsu-kun what happened, but the first thing he says is that Karin is innocent," Shizune explained.

"It looks like we're getting nowhere," Shikamaru stated.

* * *

"Where's Danzo?" Sasuke proclaimed.

"He's probably with Sai?" Naruto suggested. Sasuke walked over to Tsunade and handed her the scrolls stating the success of the missions.

"Where are you going, Sasuke?" Tsunade asked.

"...For a walk," Sasuke replied as he exited.

Tsunade sighed and stated, "Will someone please go with Sasuke just to make sure that he isn't going to do anything … crazy."

Naruto quickly opened the window and jumped out, yelling, "Oi, Sasuke, wait for me!"

Tsunade pinched her nose and said, "Will someone _please_ go with those two? I should've realized that Naruto would be the first to go with Sasuke."

Itachi chuckled and said, "I'll be going then."

Tsunade nodded and sighed, feeling relieved that Itachi was going to be following them.

* * *

**Stay Tuned for Another Chapter of...**

**"Welcome to the Enhanced World"**

**Please Review :) **


	45. Chapter 45

*Chapter 45: What a surprise.

* * *

_Italics- Thoughts_

**Bold- Inner**

* * *

**Normal POV:**

Sasuke abruptly stopped and stated, "Itachi, stop hiding."

Naruto laughed out loud causing Sasuke to give Naruto a weird look.

Itachi popped out chuckling as he patted Sasuke's back while saying, "Ne, little brother, what are you up to?"

Sasuke shrugged and answered, "Hn."

And with that, Sasuke began to walk like nothing happened.

"Oi, Sasuke, I hope that you're not going to be doing anything dumb," Itachi stated.

Sasuke turned to look at his older brother and said, "Isn't that why Tsunade told you to follow me?"

Itachi smirked and replied, "That means you do want me to come with you, little brother?"

"Tch," Sasuke grunted and continued to walk.

* * *

"Oh my gosh, they're so …hot!" a girl whispered, pointing at Sasuke and Itachi.

"I wish I could bring myself to talk to them like Naruto-kun," another girl nervously stated.

Many girls watched in envy as Naruto easily chatted with both Uchihas.

* * *

Sasuke knocked on Danzo's door.

Sai opened the door, surprised to see Sasuke standing at the door.

"Sasuke, Itachi, Naruto, what are you three doing here?" Sai asked, still holding the door open.

"Is Danzo here, Sai?" Sasuke asked, staring at Sai.

"What a surprise to see you here, Sasuke," Danzo said as he pushed the door open even more.

Sai stared at Danzo quietly.

"Danzo," Sasuke stated sternly.

Danzo gestured for Sasuke and them to enter his office.

* * *

**Stay Tuned for Another Chapter of...**

**"Welcome to the Enhanced World" **

**PLEASE REVIEW! ^_^**

* * *

**A/N: **

******I'm on Thanksgiving Break now and you know what that means... MORE TIME TO UPDATE ;) **

**Sorry for the short chapter but it's just setting up the next chapter.**

**I hoped that you enjoyed the chapter even though it was pretty short. **

**PLEASE REVIEW :] **


	46. Chapter 46

*Chapter 46: Ashes

* * *

_Italics- Thoughts _

**Bold- Inner**

* * *

**NORMAL POV:  
**

"Why would you care about the girl's ashes, Sasuke?" Danzo asked.

"I'm just curious of why you want to keep Sakura's ashes, Danzo," Sasuke answered, staring at Danzo.

Naruto nodded and commented, "Yeah, what are you planning Danzo?"

Danzo sighed and muttered, "You want the ashes, then come and take it."

"Danzo-sama, you're going to give it to them?" Sai asked, watching Danzo walk past him.

"Of course, Sai come with me," Danzo ordered, still walking.

Sasuke stared at Itachi, suspicious of Danzo. _Why would he give the ashes to us so easily?_

Danzo and Sai came back with a ceramic container with complicated designs.

"Give it to them Sai and lead them out," Danzo commanded, turning to leave.

Sai stared at Danzo's retreating figure and said, "Follow me, I'll show you the way out."

* * *

"Here, take it," Sai stated, staring at the container.

Sasuke reached out to take it, studying Sai's actions.

"Are you okay, Sai?" Naruto asked, concerned about Sai.

"…It's….nothing," Sai replied, faking a smile. Sasuke and Itachi stood unmoved by the fake lie.

Naruto rubbed his neck and said, "Okay, then, we'll be going then. Oh, and make sure to hang out with us some time, Sai. You're still apart of Team 7, you know?"

Naruto, Sasuke and Itachi left leaving Sai feeling very confused.

* * *

"Itachi, take the container and get the ashes checked out. I want to really see if this is ash," Sasuke stated.

"Yes, sir," Itachi teased, saluting Sasuke and quickly messed with Sasuke's hair.

"Itachi," Sasuke said gravely, smacking Itachi's hands away.

Itachi smiled at Sasuke and disappeared.

* * *

"Sai was acting a bit odd," Sasuke stated.

Naruto finished slurping his ramen and said, "You think?"

Sasuke looked away from Naruto and back at his ramen that he hadn't touched since he ordered it.

Staring at the bowl of ramen, Sasuke remembered the time they met Sakura when she acted as Hana.

Naruto got punched by her and they all ate the ramen together.

Sasuke sighed and muttered, "It was obvious that that was Sakura."

Naruto stopped eating and stared at Sasuke confused.

Naruto was going to say something but then Sai entered the ramen shop saying, "I need to tell you something, Sasuke."

Sasuke turned around to stare at Sai.

* * *

"So, you can't communicate with us verbally?" Naruto asked.

They left the ramen shop after Naruto ate Sasuke's bowl of ramen and went to sit in the training grounds.

Sai nodded, holding his paper and brush.

"Why?" Sasuke asked.

Sai held up a finger, implying for them to wait.

The brush moved slowly and gracefully with Sai's guidance.

Naruto and Sasuke read the paper quietly.

"Danzo put a binding seal on you to prevent you from saying information that may potentially get in his way," Sasuke restated.

Sai nodded and replied, "That's why I'm using my art supplies to talk."

"So what did you want to tell us?" Naruto asked.

Sai started to write and showed them his answer.

"The ceramic container containing the ashes isn't really ashes?" Naruto asked.

"I knew it," Sasuke muttered.

Sai wrote some more.

"You think Danzo has the ashes?" Naruto asked quietly.

Sai nodded and wrote again.

"He might take it with him to the executions tomorrow?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke was thinking.

"Do you happen to know where it is?" Sasuke asked.

Sai shook his head and said, "He doesn't trust me."

Naruto sighed and said, "Well, that means that we're going to have to find those ashes by breaking into his office."

Sasuke shook his head and said, "Danzo might not even have those ashes. In fact, he's probably searching for them. That's probably why he gave us the container so easily."

Sai nodded and said, "It makes sense."

Sai stared at the hawk in the air and said, "I should get going before Danzo gets suspicious of me."

"Thanks, Sai!" Naruto yelled as Sai left.

* * *

"Do you think that he was telling us the truth?" Sasuke asked, glancing at Naruto.

"Yeah," Naruto answered, turning to look at Sasuke.

"So far no one has Sakura's ashes," Sasuke stated and Naruto asked, "So who could have her ashes?"

* * *

**Stay Tuned For Another Chapter of..**.

**"Welcome to the Enhanced World"**

**PLEASE Review :] **

* * *

**A/N: **

**Thanks for the reviews! I checked my e-mail and BAM! There were all these awesome reviews! **

******Anyways, did you guys see that episode of Naruto Shippuden where Sakura was confessed by some ninja guy? It's the same episode where she beats that half white/black Akatsuki member. **

******NARUTO is SO AWESOME and FULL of INSPIRING THEMES! **

**My answer to Secret Blossom:**

** (for Chapter 12) Naruto and the others can sense chakra but Sakura's chakra can't be sensed. Yeah, i just made Sakura that way ;) **


	47. Chapter 47

*Chapter 47: Funeral in the Morning

* * *

_Italics- Thoughts_

**Bold- Inner**

* * *

**NORMAL POV:**

Birds cawed as the sun rose and the sky was a pinkish-light red color.

Sasuke locked his apartment door and descended the stairs to find Naruto waiting there.

"Yo, Sasuke-Teme, what are you going to do now?" Naruto simply greeted, leaning on the rails.

Sasuke stared at his blond friend and commented, "You're up early, Dobe."

"Tch, Sasuke, I am highly capable of waking up; I just choose not to most of the time," Naruto remarked, standing tall and proud.

Sasuke smirked and walked past Naruto, saying, "You coming or not?"

Naruto beamed and tagged along with Sasuke as they made their way to the cemetery.

Naruto and Sasuke stayed quiet as both of them thought about what happened yesterday between Tsunade and Danzo.

* * *

- [**What Happened Yesterday] -**

After Naruto and Sasuke finished talking to Sai, they wondered around the village.

Naruto was talking to Sasuke and saw Ino searching like crazy for someone.

"Oi, Ino, what's the matter with you?" Naruto asked.

Ino turned to stare at Naruto and exclaimed, "Where were you two? I was looking all over the village for you guys."

"Why?" Sasuke asked, hoping that it wasn't his fan girls again.

"Tsunade-sama and Danzo are arguing about Sakura," Ino stated.

Naruto stared at Sasuke and proclaimed, "Well, then, let's get moving people!"

When they arrived in the conference room, Tsunade pounded a fist on the table.

"Why shouldn't we have a funeral for Sakura?" Tsunade demanded.

Sasuke scanned the room filled with mainly Jonins and Chunins.

Danzo sighed and stated, "I'm not dishonoring Haruno Sakura by not wanting to have a funeral for her. I just do not find it necessary to have a funeral for her. Has she done anything to help Konoha?"

Danzo stared at the audience full of ninjas, waiting for an answer.

"That's what I thought. All she did was cause destruction upon Konoha! Her presence in Konoha caused Orochimaru to wreak havoc! We're lucky that not that many people were killed, Tsunade," Danzo exclaimed.

Tsunade glared at the elderly man and proclaimed, "What would the Sandaime say about this? What would he do?"

Tsunade turned to look at the fellow ninjas as she continued, "How can we call ourselves a good nation if we don't even care for each other? How are we supposed to spread the Will of the Fire if we do not even possess the goodness of that Will?"

"Yeah, Baa-chan's right!" Naruto shouted, throwing a fist into the air.

"Are we going to let Orochimaru's destruction kill the Will that Sandaime fought for? The Will that he died for and the Will that was born within every single one of us," Tsunade stated.

"No, we're going to use that Will!" Naruto prodded, with two fists in the air.

"The Will that all the Hokages' fought for; I am still fighting for that Will," Tsunade stated.

"I don't know about you guys but I'm fighting for that will too!" Naruto shouted.

Sasuke sighed and stated, "For the first time, Dobe's right."

Naruto laughed and boasted, "Of course, I am. I'm always right, Teme!"

Ino, Hinata, TenTen, Shikamaru, and Neji all walked over to Sasuke and Naruto. And then, Lee, Shino, Kiba and even Shizune walked over to the growing group. The Akatsuki even joined in. Soon, everyone came into synchronization.

-** [End of the Recap] -**

* * *

Sasuke and Naruto arrived at the ceremony in honor of Sakura.

Hinata smiled at Naruto and Sasuke while Neji just simply waved.

Villagers and ninjas came to attend the funeral.

A few minutes before the funeral began, there were some gasps.

Sasuke and Naruto turned around to stare at the girl.

Ino stared at the pale and fragile looking girl and said, "Karin, you came."

Karin managed to pull a weak smile. Ino smiled back at her.

Some of Sasuke's fan girls gave Karin dirty looks.

Rumors had spread again.

Karin killed Sakura because she wanted Sasuke. Karin teamed up with Orochimaru and was a spy.

Ino walked up to Karin, giving her a hug.

Shikamaru was surprised along with a few others.

The past days, Ino had been visiting Karin since she was refused to eat anything.

Suigetsu managed to persuade Ino into helping Karin stay healthy.

"Come on over, Karin and Suigetsu. I saved you two some seats," Ino stated generously.

Some girls were appalled by Ino's fair actions.

People began to whisper about Karin and Suigetsu.

Growing irritated, Ino stomped causing everyone to stare at her.

"People, relax please. This is a funeral and I am positive that Sakura wouldn't want anyone mistreating Karin!" Ino stated, sitting next to Karin and Shikamaru.

Shikamaru smiled and wrapped an arm around Ino.

Sasuke stared at the sky and thought about Sakura and her effects on others including himself.

_Thank you, Sakura, for everything. _

Ino held Shikamaru's hands as Tsunade began the funeral.

Ino stared at the clouds with Shikamaru as she thought quietly to herself.

_Sakura, rest in peace. _

Karin sat in the chair, staring at nothing in particular.

_Thank you Sakura for giving me a chance to be with the one I really love. _

Karin turned to look at Suigetsu and smiled at him.

"Haruno Sakura was a dear student of mine. But she wasn't just a student; she was like a daughter to me. I know that to some of you, Sakura may be another stranger. But if you had the chance to meet her, you would come to realize the goodness in her heart," Tsunade stated.

And so the Funeral began in the early morning with no rain or dark clouds but morning sunshine.

* * *

**Stay Tuned For Another Chapter of...**

**"Welcome to the Enhanced World"**

**PLEASE REVIEW ^-^ **

* * *

**A/N: **

**Heads up readers! **

**Next chapter a certain someone is going to come back and SHAKE things up! **

**Review for more chapters...please :)**


	48. Chapter 48

*Chapter 48: I am Haruno Sakura

* * *

_Italics- Thoughts_

**Bold- Inner**

* * *

**NORMAL POV:**

The sun was setting as the sky turned into a light orange color soon to be dark as the night came upon Konoha.

Sasuke and Naruto were walking with each other through the crowded streets.

A genin muttered, "It's almost time for the execution!"

Another friend of the genin replied, "Oh yeah, isn't that going to happen the next hour?"

Sasuke rubbed his temples and Naruto sighed.

Ever since Sakura's funeral in the morning finished, people were beginning to talk about Karin's execution that was to happen in the evening.

"Ah, what a day," Naruto muttered as Sasuke and him walked to the Hokage's office.

* * *

Tsunade pounded a fist on the wooden desk as Naruto and Sasuke entered her office.

"Unno, Tsunade-sama, please refrain from breaking anything," Shizune frantically reminded.

Tsunade muttered furiously, "Damn it, why won't she tell us anything?"

Naruto cleared his throat causing Tsunade to notice him.

Tsunade asked, "Ah, Naruto and Sasuke, you two are here already?"

Sasuke nodded as Naruto stated, "Why are you so upset, Baa-chan?"

Tsunade leaned onto her desk and replied, "I was trying to get Karin to tell me something but she wouldn't reply at all. Her eyes were dull. There was nothing, no emotions at all."

"How are we supposed to help her if she won't tell us what happened?" Shizune pondered aloud.

Naruto nodded and added, "Her execution is going to be in an hour. We don't even know if she's guilty or innocent."

Sasuke commented, "Danzo reasoned that since Karin isn't defending herself, she is basically implying that she's guilty of Sakura's death and more."

Tsunade pushed herself off of her desk and asked, "And do you think that Danzo has a point?"

Sasuke and Naruto shook their heads as Sasuke replied, "We should figure out if Karin is innocent or not."

"Then, you and Naruto will go try asking Karin," Tsunade ordered, feeling that they might be able to get something out of the red-haired girl.

* * *

Karin was sitting in her cell silently, staring at the cement wall.

"You have some visitors," a prison guard stated, unlocking the iron door with a key.

Karin listened to the clinking sounds of the bundle of keys.

"You don't have to stay, Fujimori-san. Teme and I are ninjas so we can handle the situation," Naruto assured, putting a hand on the guard's shoulder.

"Oh, okay then," the man replied.

The door shut and they listened to the guard's fading footsteps.

Karin looked up at Sasuke and Naruto, staying quiet.

"Karin, we would like to ask you some questions," Naruto stated softly.

Karin gazed back at the cement wall.

"Karin, you're going to be executed soon. And in order for us to save you, we have to know what happened," Sasuke stated firmly.

Karin stared at Sasuke, touching the frame of her black glasses.

"Please, Karin, cooperate with us," Naruto suggested, staring at her with his large, blue eyes.

Karin sighed and said, "What's the use? I'm going to be executed soon."

"I don't know what happened out there in the forest, Karin, but you need to tell us what happened. Your friends died and so did Sakura. So tell me for their sake and yours," Sasuke stated.

Listening to Sasuke, Karin remembered what Ami and Mina told her. _Live for us._

Feeling a headache coming, Karin clutched her head between her fragile hands.

_Karin, you have to live for us. _

_You know, Karin, you're actually not that bad. _

Naruto repeated, "Are you okay?"

Removing her hands from her head, Karin glared at Naruto and demanded, "Get out, now, both of you."

Sasuke knew that there was something that Karin wasn't saying.

"If you feel like living, Karin, then come tell us," Sasuke stated as they left her alone.

Karin stared back at the wall.

* * *

Naruto and Sasuke entered the Hokage's office, feeling hopeless.

Tsunade didn't even ask the two because she could tell by their facial expression.

Sighing, Tsunade stated, "I guess, we cannot help her unless she decides to save herself. You two should go to the execution grounds now. It's almost time."

Sasuke and Naruto left the office and headed towards the execution grounds.

* * *

The sky was dark and the sun was long gone.

The streets of Konoha were brightly lit with villagers chatting away.

The execution grounds were located in a secluded area where the soil could not be tainted easily by blood. It was a clearing surrounded by a forest of trees but was easy to find because there was a path that was built for occasions like this.

Sasuke and Naruto walked off the path and onto the soil, heading towards their designated section for the executions.

Mostly everyone in the village came to attend.

The shinobis of Konoha were standing in the front with the villagers in the back, watching curiously and fearfully.

There were torches lit, brightening up the area.

There was a platform where the criminal would be executed. And a sharp and thick blade was placed carefully against the wooden stand where the criminal would be killed.

There was a ringing sound that signaled the initiation of the execution.

Danzo walked up the small flight of steps and onto the flat and levied platform.

Tsunade and Shizune were standing off to the side.

Tsunade looked completely against the execution. Her arms were crossed and she stood straight with her stare piercing.

Sai was standing with the group of shinobis, watching Danzo slowly walk up to the center of the platform.

Danzo scanned the execution grounds. It was packed with shinobis and villagers of Konoha.

He waved a hand, gesturing for the guard to bring Karin up.

A middle-aged man led Karin up onto the platform.

Karin's hands were binded together with cuffs.

Danzo held a hand up, implying for the man to leave the platform.

Karin turned to stare out at the crowd, searching for Suigetsu.

Danzo took a step, leaving Karin's side, and exclaimed loudly, "Good evening, Konoha. Thank you for coming out here on this cold night."

Pausing to stare at the crowd, Danzo then continued, "Tonight, Karin will be executed. She and several of her friends had committed a crime against Konoha. They had teamed up with Orochimaru and helped take part in his plan. In addition, Haruno Sakura was killed."

Danzo turned to look at Karin and asked, "Do you have anything to say, Karin?"

Karin took a good look at the crowd, staring at Ino, Naruto, Sasuke and finally Suigetsu.

"…No, I do not have anything to say," Karin stated loudly.

"What do you mean, Karin?" Suigetsu demanded furiously and defended, "She is innocent. She didn't kill Sakura! She didn't even take part in Orochimaru's plan! It was Ami and she's dead now, so Karin shouldn't have to be executed!"

Danzo peered at the silver-haired boy and stated, "And you happened to be there during the battle?"

Suigetsu stared back and answered, "I wasn't there for the whole battle."

"Did you see Haruno Sakura alive?" Danzo asked.

"I didn't see her," Suigetsu replied and stated, "But that doesn't mean that she was dead!"

Danzo shook his head and said, "A funeral was held for the young girl this morning."

Suigetsu clenched his hands into fists, shaking with anger.

Sasuke put a hand on Suigetsu's shoulder, hoping that Suigetsu wouldn't make Danzo even more irked.

Suigetsu glanced at Sasuke and calmed down.

Karin stared at Suigetsu, relieved that he calmed down.

* * *

A strong gust of wind blew.

The flames from the torches flickered.

* * *

Danzo continued on and stated, "We will now proceed with the execution."

Karin followed Danzo's lead and slowly placed her head on the wooden stand, dropping onto her knees.

Little kids began to wail in fear and disgust.

Suigetsu gritted his teeth, forcing back the urge to kill a specific someone.

Danzo moved off to the far side of the platform where the blood would not splatter on him.

Karin stood on her knees with her chained wrists placed in front of her. Karin closed her eyes.

Suigetsu turned his head away.

Villagers began to cover their faces with their hands, afraid.

The masked decapitator held the blade, skillfully and smoothly wedged between his large hands.

Bending as he picked it up, he raised the blade and intended to finish the criminal all in one swift cut.

A cold wind blew, barely moving the man's short hair.

Bringing the blade down, the man did not blink even if he was wearing a mask.

And then, a scraping and clinking sound was heard.

Villagers opened their eyes, staring at Karin's head.

Soon, a wave of gasps broke out in the crowd.

Danzo stared at Karin's perfectly fine head and look at the decapitator who was not holding the blade anymore.

A little boy shouted, "Look!"

He pointed at the rock behind the platform. Everybody looked to see the blade shoved deeply into the large rocks.

Danzo stared at the decapitator, signaling for the man to finish his job.

The masked man walked to the large rocks and tried to pull the blade out.

"It's stuck," the man stated, loud enough for everyone to hear.

The crowd began to whisper amongst themselves.

Danzo had one of the guards bring another blade to the decapitator.

Breathing calmly, the masked man raised the blade and brought it down.

Right before the heavy blade was going to snap Karin's neck, a strong gust of wind blew the blade out from the man's grip.

A light flashed in the back causing everyone to turn around and look for the source of the flash.

There was a hooded person, standing a few feet away from the crowd.

The loud, clashing sound of the blade hitting against the rock reminded everyone of the occasion.

"Who are you?" Danzo demanded, staring intently at the hooded person.

Pulling off the dark hood, pink hair tousled with the wind. Glittering, emerald eyes shined with amusement.

Dropping her porcelain hands to her side, she answered, "I am Haruno Sakura."

* * *

**Stay Tuned for Another Chapter of...**

**"Welcome to the Enhanced World"**

**PLEASE REVIEW! **

* * *

**A/N: SORRY for the long update :( **

** I really meant to update more during thanksgiving but my break was hectic! Again, i'm really sorry. I'm going to try to update more. **


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